MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN Y DEMOCRACIA. EL IMAGINARIO NEOLIBERAL Y LOS ESTUDIOS CRÍTICOS DE LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN

This chapter explores the role of media in shaping contemporary democracy within the framework of neoliberal rationality and the rise of techno-feudalism. Sorice examines how digital ecosystems reinforce hegemonic narratives, power asymmetries, and processes of depoliticization. Through critical media studies, the transformation of the public sphere into a fragmented and polarized “post-public sphere” dominated by algorithms and private platforms is revealed. The author introduces the concept of the “asocial state” to describe the delegation of public functions to tech corporations, threatening democratic governance. In response, the chapter highlights the importance of critical media studies as a space of resistance, capable of envisioning communicative alternatives grounded in the right to information, co-production of knowledge, and the strengthening of public and community media.