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Introduction Politics and media of mass communication are ubiquitous social institutions in all societies. They have been invariably influencing each other and the relationship between them has varied from blatant hostility to open advocacy. However, this relationship has radically changed in the recent decades with the changing modes of media of communication. Scholars like Postman (1985) argue that developments in the media industry have changed the epistemic nature of politics and the modern entertainment-oriented media have trivialized the erstwhile serious business of politics. The objective of this article is to trace the relationship between popular media and politics and its ramifications on citizenship.
There is a growing concern among academia and politicians that political participation of the citizens is sharply declining in liberal democracies. Tonn and Petrich (1998, p. 783) have described some of the constraints on citizenry which include work, consumerism, lack of social capital, personal fears and anxieties and the built environment that hamper them to effectively shoulder their responsibilities as citizens. Besides changes in citizenship, there has also been an enormous transformation in the content and technology of the modern mass media. Media have emerged as a powerful tool of political socialization and Gerbner's research (1977) indicated how dependent Americans are on media for making sense of the social realities.
Infotainment and Citizenship: The Research Questions Can modern popular media ensure participation of the citizens in the political process? This question is academically, socially and politically relevant and carries enormous heuristic value as many scholars have argued that media have failed to keep a political citizenry intact (Altschull, 1995; Franklin, 1997; Graber, 2003; Postman, 1985). McNair (2003) describing the role of media in an ideal democratic society argues that media should provide information, educate the citizens, act as a platform for public political discourse, offer publicity to government as watchdog of the society and serve as a channel for the advocacy of political viewpoints. Has media been able to meet these expectations? Consequently, answering this question and probing relationship among citizens, media and politics becomes a very important academic, social and political issue because in liberal democracies questions linked to citizenry, politics and media carry gigantic significance Conversely, Graber (2003) contends that neither media nor citizens are capable to play a significant...