Page 28 - English in Media Discourse

PART SIX
MEDIA DISCOURSE AND POLITICS

A. Language and political communication in media

The role of language in political communication within media
is a dynamic and evolving aspect of contemporary discourse.
Here are some key insights from the provided sources:
1. Direct Access to Voters: The rapid growth of social media
has revolutionized political communication, allowing
politicians to access their voters directly, bypassing
traditional journalistic channels. This shift necessitates
adapting the language of communication to engage a less
informed general public, potentially leading to more
compromising language in the pursuit of common solutions
rather than ideological opposition 55.

2. Interactive Political Communication on Social Media:
Platforms like TikTok have transformed political
communication, fostering more interactive engagement
compared to other social media platforms. Users combine
multiple information channels to spread their messages, and
political communication takes the form of communication
trees, with users generating branches of responses to
existing content 56.

3. Language Manipulation in Political Communication:
The use of language by politicians to manipulate the
electorate has evolved, encompassing live or televised
discourse as well as social media. Language and
speechwriting are key tools for swaying voters, with words
serving as the currency of power in elections 57.

4. Multilingualism and Political Integration: The
relationship between language, political integration, and the
emergence of a communicative space sustained by
interlocking media is a central consideration. The balance