Responsibility and Resistance: Ethics in Mediatized Worlds (Ethik in mediatisierten Welten)

The volume deals with the normative challenges and the ethical questions imposed by, and through, the developments and changes in everyday life, culture and society in the context of media change. It is thus concerned with the questions of whether and how the central concept of (enlightened) ethics must evolve under these premises – or in other words: what form do ethics take in mediatized societies? In order to address this question and to stimulate and initiate a debate, the authors focus on two concepts: responsibility and resistance. Their contributions try to shed light not only on the empirical shreds of evidence of change in mediatized societies, but also on the normative challenges and ethical possibilities of these developments. Target Groups Scholars and advanced students in the field of media and communication studies Media practitioners and media policy-makers The Editors Dr. Tobias Eberwein, Senior Scientist and Research Group Leader at the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies (CMC), Austrian Academy of Sciences/University of Klagenfurt. Dr. Dr. Matthias Karmasin, Professor at the Department of Media and Communications Science, University of Klagenfurt, Director of the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies (CMC), Austrian Academy of Sciences/University of Klagenfurt. Dr. habil. Friedrich Krotz, em. Professor of Communication and Media Studies with a focus on social communication and mediatization research at the University of Bremen. Dr. Dr. Matthias Rath, Professor for Philosophy at the University of Education in Ludwigsburg and head of the Research Center Youth – Media – Education and the Research Group Media Ethics Contents 6 Editors and Contributors 8 Responsibility and Resistance: Conceptual Preliminaries 10 1 Introduction 10 2 Key Concepts, Key Questions 11 3 Concept and Structure of the Book 14 References 18 Part I Theoretical and Historical Foundations 19 Ethics of Mediatized Worlds: A Framing Introduction 20 Abstract 20 1 Introduction 21 2 A Short Introduction to the Mediatization Approach 24 3 Some Obvious Conclusions 27 4 Some More Complex Conclusions 31 5 Final Comments 34 References 34 100 Years of Claims for Responsible Public Communication: The Mediation of Responsibility (as a Form of Resistance) in Mediatized Societies—a Historical Perspective 37 Abstract 37 1 Introduction 38 2 Voices from the Past: Bücher, Everth and Manheim—The Idea of Transparent and Trustful Communication as a Basis for a Just Society 40 2.1 Karl Bücher: The Critical Idealist 41 2.2 Erich Everth: The Analysis of the Mediation of Publics 44 2.3 Ernest Manheim: Typology of the Public Sphere 46 3 Mediation in Digitized, Mediatized Societies: What to Learn from the Past? 48 3.1 Socio-technical Mediation 48 3.2 Outlook 53 References 54 Ethics of the Mediatized World 59 Abstract 59 1 Introduction 60 2 Ethics as a Discipline 60 3 Consequences of Media Deprofessionalization for the Systematics of Media Ethics 62 4 The General Philosophical-Ethical Significance of Mediatization Theory 63 4.1 Anthropological Basis: Mediality 63 4.2 Epochal Realization of Mediality: Mediatization 65 5 “Mediatized World” Instead of “Mediatized Worlds” 69 6 Conclusion: Responsibility and Resistance 70 References 72 Part II Analyses and Cases 75 Ethics and Mediatization: Subjectivity, Judgment (phronēsis) and Meta-theoretical Coherence? 76 Abstract 76 1 Introduction: Ethics and the Subject Vis-à-vis Mediatization Theory 77 2 What is an Ethical Subject? 79 3 The Ethical Subject Vis-à-vis Mediatization Theory 82 4 Complementarity 84 5 Contemporary Complementarity 87 6 Complementarity, Mediatization and (Virtue) Ethics 89 7 Concluding Remarks 91 References 92 Permanent Connectivity: From Modes of Restrictions to Strategies of Resistance 95 Abstract 95 1 Permanent Connectivity as a Dispositif of Communication 96 2 From Forms of Decoding to Modes of Action 98 2.1 Dominant Modes in Digital Networks 99 2.2 Negotiated Network Behavior 100 2.3 Modes of Resistance 101 3 Technologies of the Self and Ethical Implications 104 4 Conclusions 109 References 110 Managing Mediatization: How Media Users Negotiate a Successful Integration of (New) Media in Everyday Life 115 Abstract 115 1 Introduction: Shaping the Conduct of Mediatization via Appropriation 116 2 Theory: Productive Users in Changing Media Environments 117 2.1 Mediatization—A User-Driven Process 117 2.2 Cultural Studies: Opposition and Resistance in Appropriation 118 2.3 Appropriation and Resistance as Ethical Practices 120 3 State of Research: Managing Mediatization in Everyday Life 122 4 Research Questions and Method: Analyzing Media Use via Ethnographic Household Studies 124 4.1 Research Questions 124 4.2 Methodology 124 5 Findings: Users’ Perspectives on Media Use and Mediatization 126 5.1 Perspectives on Analogue and Digital Media 126 5.2 Understanding and Critique of the Role of Media in Society 127 5.3 Expectations Concerning Media and Society in the Future 129 6 Conclusion: Media and Mediatization between Acceptance and Criticism 130 References 131 Agony at a Distance: Investigating Digital Witnessing on YouTube 135 Abstract 135 1 Introduction 136 2 Media Witnessing 137 3 Witnessing on YouTube 138 4 Witnessing in, by and through the Video “For our son” 141 5 Agony at a Distance? 146 References 147 Doing Good ‘With Just One Click’: Normative Aspects of Solidarity 2.0 as an Act of Resistance in Today’s Mediatized Worlds 150 Abstract 150 1 Introduction 151 2 Mediatization: Digital Forms of Showing Solidarity 151 3 Solidarity as a Media-Ethical Leading Idea 153 4 Online Petitions as an Example of Showing Solidarity 156 5 Media-Ethical Reflections on Acting Solidary in Mediatized Worlds 159 References 162 Corporate Responsibility in a Mediatized World: Institutional Ethics and the Question of Consumer Sovereignty 164 Abstract 164 1 Mediatization, Organizations and Consumer Sovereignty 165 2 Media Capabilities and Choice 167 3 Corporate Responsibility of Mediatized Organizations 170 4 Democratic Responsibility of Mediatized Organizations 173 5 Conclusion 174 References 175 Ethics as Practice: The Challenge of Ethics Management in Mediatized Working Environments—Journalism in Change 177 Abstract 177 1 Introduction 178 2 Mediatization: Organizational and Journalistic Challenges 179 2.1 Changing Media Organizations 180 2.2 What are the Implications for Changing Organizations? 182 2.3 How Do We Work Now? Changing Realities and New Practices in the Journalistic Organization 183 3 Resistance: Ethics Beyond Deontology 185 3.1 Postmodern Ethics 189 3.2 Ethics as Practice 191 4 An Empirical Research Agenda 192 5 Conclusions 195 References 195 Meta-discourses Between Responsibility and Resistance: Reaching the Aim of Multimodal Learning by Ways of Mediatization Processes 200 Abstract 200 1 Introduction 201 2 The Reasons it is Necessary to Know About Mediatization as a Teacher 202 3 Mediatization in Award-winning Children’s Books: The Project’s Description 204 4 Mediatization within the Award-winning Books: An Analysis of the Texts 211 4.1 Young Readers’ Panel’s Selection of Books 212 4.2 Adult Panel’s Selection of Books 214 5 Discussion: Responsibility and Resistance in Texts About Texts About Mediatization 216 References 217 Sex Machines as Mediatized Sexualities: Ethical and Social Implications 221 Abstract 221 1 Introduction: Mediatization, Ethics and Sex (Machines) 222 2 Sex Machines 226 3 Six Types of Sex Machines and Six Ethics Debates 228 4 Discussion 233 References 235 Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Responsibility and Resistance: Conceptual Preliminaries (Friedrich Krotz, Matthias Karmasin, Matthias Rath, Tobias Eberwein)....Pages 1-9 Front Matter ....Pages 11-11 Ethics of Mediatized Worlds: A Framing Introduction (Friedrich Krotz)....Pages 13-29 100 Years of Claims for Responsible Public Communication: The Mediation of Responsibility (as a Form of Resistance) in Mediatized Societies—a Historical Perspective (Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz, Erik Koenen)....Pages 31-52 Ethics of the Mediatized World (Matthias Rath)....Pages 53-68 Front Matter ....Pages 69-69 Ethics and Mediatization: Subjectivity, Judgment (phronēsis) and Meta-theoretical Coherence? (Charles M. Ess)....Pages 71-89 Permanent Connectivity: From Modes of Restrictions to Strategies of Resistance (Thomas Steinmaurer, Helena Atteneder)....Pages 91-110 Managing Mediatization: How Media Users Negotiate a Successful Integration of (New) Media in Everyday Life (Kathrin Friederike Müller)....Pages 111-130 Agony at a Distance: Investigating Digital Witnessing on YouTube (Johanna Sumiala)....Pages 131-145 Doing Good ‘With Just One Click’: Normative Aspects of Solidarity 2.0 as an Act of Resistance in Today’s Mediatized Worlds (Nina Köberer)....Pages 147-160 Corporate Responsibility in a Mediatized World: Institutional Ethics and the Question of Consumer Sovereignty (Michael Litschka)....Pages 161-173 Ethics as Practice: The Challenge of Ethics Management in Mediatized Working Environments—Journalism in Change (Anke Trommershausen)....Pages 175-197 Meta-discourses Between Responsibility and Resistance: Reaching the Aim of Multimodal Learning by Ways of Mediatization Processes (Gudrun Marci-Boehncke)....Pages 199-219 Sex Machines as Mediatized Sexualities: Ethical and Social Implications (Nicole Duller, Joan Ramon Rodriguez-Amat)....Pages 221-239