Political Communication through Television and Digital Media in Pakistan

Abstract

The spread of television and digital media has brought about a radical change in the field of political communication according to which the information is spread by the actors in the political process and the way the citizens are involved in political affairs. Traditionally, television acted as the most influential platform to convey political message, agenda-setting, and persuading voters and provided centralized and edited political discourse. Nonetheless, the swift advancement of digital media platforms, such as social media, online news portals, and interactive communication technologies, has decentralized the political communication process, allowing more people to engage in it, achieve a sense of immediacy, and make the political content more personalized. This paper observes the dynamic nature of political communication in both television and online media in terms of their influences in influencing political consciousness, popular opinion and democratic participation. The paper is based on empirical and theoretic sources that demonstrate the importance of framing and agenda-setting in media, along with an algorithmic mediation approach to affect political discourse in modern societies. It also discusses how media convergence, misinformation and fragmented audiences are affecting democratic processes. The results highlight that, on one hand, digital media can be used to increase political participation and accessibility, but on the other hand, there are issues associated with polarization, credibility and regulation. The research paper has an impact on political communication research by presenting a combined interpretation of both traditional and digital media as complementary spaces of political communication that is controversial.