Society being increasingly ‘mediatised’: Mark Deuze

He delivered keynote address at an international media seminar at Mar Ivanios College

Media theoretician Mark Deuze has stressed the influence of mass media on society. Media, he said, should be viewed as a technology-enabled system and not a technology-deterministic entity.

He was delivering the keynote address at an international media seminar organised by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Mar Ivanios College recently.

Dr. Deuze, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam, said the everyday life of humans has been ‘mediatised’, with mass media playing an influencing role in various avenues.

He said that while there is enough emphasis on the content of the media, form too has to be negotiated carefully in the media world, while delving into the need for varying styles and techniques in expression.

Biswajit Das, founder director of the Centre for Media Studies and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia Central University, chaired the session. Deepak Padmanabhan, Associate Professor, University of Belfast, explained the tools and methods of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning that are helpful in detecting fake news and toxic content in digital-social networks. ‘Gendering’ media is still an unfinished project, noted journalists Kalpana Sharma and Ammu Joseph said during another session of the seminar.

Media editors and academics discussed the ‘digital disruptions’ faced by mainstream media with the emergence of tools such as ChatGPT.