This course aims to examine the impact of the media ecosystem, transformed by the digitalization process, on the political sphere. The effects of the transition from traditional mass media to platform-based communication structures on political participation, public opinion formation, leadership practices, ideological production processes, and democratic mechanisms will be evaluated from a critical perspective. Within the scope of the course, it is intended for students to gain the ability to analyze political communication environments shaped by new media technologies at both theoretical and practical levels.

This course addresses the contemporary transformation of media studies on the axis of platformization, algorithmic governance, and digital political communication. In the first section, basic theoretical approaches such as the transformation of media systems, network society, and platform capitalism are examined. Following this, the effects of social media platforms on the public sphere, data economy, algorithmic visibility, and digital surveillance mechanisms are discussed. In the subsequent sections of the course, new generation political actors, influencer politics, digital campaigns, micro-targeting techniques, disinformation, AI-driven propaganda, and electoral processes are analyzed. Furthermore, academic evaluations are made on young voter behaviors, digital activism, cultural polarization, the ideological functions of platforms, and future models of political communication.