The formatting of politics as a power issue

To extend the reach of their ideas and causes, political actors and institutions have had to adapt their discourse to the formal moulds of the successive media outlets that have prevailed over time. This process of formatting is analysed from a long-term perspective, drawing on some of the work devoted to the mediation and mediatization of politics. Three major historical configurations have emerged since the 19th century: a configuration of interdependence between political actors and journalists, marked by the gradual empowerment of the press and its formats; a configuration of control of formats by media actors, when television was the predominant media outlet; and, with platforms, a configuration of submission of both political actors and traditional media to formats defined by digital companies. This approach, focussing on the formatting of politics, sheds light on the socio-technical and socio-economic changes that have taken place in the information ecosystem, as well as the constraints they place on political actors and democracy.