Mediapolis, where art thou? Mediated cosmopolitanism in three media systems between 2002 and 2010

Abstract

This article addresses the extent to which cosmopolitan dispositions are cultivated in news consumption, and how this relationship differs between three media systems and over time (2002–2010). It is based on a study using European Social Survey-data covering 14 European countries and over 70,000 respondents in search of a media culture that fosters cosmopolitan sensibilities among citizens – what Roger Silverstone referred to as the ‘mediapolis’. The study contributes to contemporary debates on the conditions under which cosmopolitan dispositions are cultivated since the results put into question the assumption of a ‘mediated cosmopolitanism’, existing on the level of mass mediation across various media systems. This challenge suggests that the ‘mediapolis’ is more of a normative category than an empirical one, and that the theorizing on the relationship between media and cosmopolitanism is in need of recalibration.