I MEDIA E LA FORMAZIONE DELL'OPINIONE PUBBLICA. ALCUNE RIFLESSIONI SUL RAPPORTO TRA INFORMAZIONE E GLOBALIZZAZIONE

The subject of this paper is the relation between public opinion and the media with reference to globalization processes. The central issue is the possibility, as maintained by some scholars, that the restructuring of society determined by globalization affects both the nature of the information produced by the media and the formation of public opinion. The main finding concerns the modes of communication by television, in that they are characterized by a biographical, fragmented and emotional approach to events and people. Our idea is that these modes are inherent in communication and include oral or written linguistic communication as well. Other topics here considered are the cultural conditions under which the media are used and the fundamental questions of access to the media and democracy in the provision of information.