The Coevolution of Media and Politics in Taiwan: Implications for Political Communications

Jonathan Sullivan

doi:10.1163/24688800-00201005

Abstract

Over the course of democratisation, Taiwan’s communications environment has experienced significant changes. Liberalisation and commercialisation of the media, and the emergence and popularisation of digital, have substantially altered the information environment and the expectations and behaviours of both citizens and political actors. This article explores the implications of these developments for political communications, and the vitality of Taiwan’s democracy. The article combines a conceptual framework rooted in mediatisation and hybrid media logics with empirical case studies on election campaigning, social movements, and other modes of political communication. It demonstrates how a new system of coevolving media, civil society, and political spheres is taking shape, characterised by complexity, heterogeneity, interdependence, and transition.

Highlights

Over the course of Taiwan’s democratization, in response to the changing media environment brought about by liberalization, commercialization and technological change, politicians, social activists and election candidates have modified the ways in which they attempt to inform, persuade and mobilize citizens
To help situate the interdependencies between media and politics, and identify the effects they have on political communications, this article draws on the concepts of media logics, mediatisation and media hybridity
It proceeds with an examination of the evolution of the media environment and the adaptive communication practices of political actors through a series of case studies on election campaigning, social movement activism and the “hybrid” campaign of “political outsider” Ko Wen-je (Ke Wenzhe 柯文哲 ), 2 which was notable for blending communication and organizational methods associated with both election campaigning and social movements

Summary

Introduction

Over the course of Taiwan’s democratization, in response to the changing media environment brought about by liberalization, commercialization and technological change, politicians, social activists and election candidates have modified the ways in which they attempt to inform, persuade and mobilize citizens. The article concludes that the political communications environment is in a state of flux, as actors across Taiwanese society adapt to new methods and cultures in the production and dissemination of information.

Results

Conclusion