Marko Ampuja - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Marko Ampuja

Javnost - The Public, 2016

The neoliberal developments over the past 30 years have received much support from a set of ideas... more The neoliberal developments over the past 30 years have received much support from a set of ideas that can be defined as “the new spirit of capitalism”. These ideas have offered powerful legitimisations of neoliberalism, conceived as a progressive force that has replaced the supposedly bureaucratic structures of earlier Keynesian welfare states with market-driven network structures that allow innovations, creativity and entrepreneurship to flourish. In this article, I will critically examine the constituents of the new spirit of capitalism, in particular its intimate association with liberal discourses of innovation. I will then focus on how such ideas have come forward in recent information society thinking via a discussion of Manuel Castells's influential network society theory. This is followed by a critique of mainstream understandings of innovation from a neo-Marxist perspective, with an eye towards new information and communication technology and critical media research in times of a growing contestation of neoliberal hegemony.

Paragrafo Revista Cientifica De Comunicacao Social Da Fiam Faam, Dec 3, 2015

Neste artigo, examinarei criticamente as analises sobre as novas tecnologias de informacao e comu... more Neste artigo, examinarei criticamente as analises sobre as novas tecnologias de informacao e comunicacao por importantes sociologos contemporâneos, especialmente Manuel Castells. Primeiramente, discorrerei acerca de argumentos concernentes a chegada de uma nova logica de redes e fluxos. Em segundo lugar, avaliarei afirmacoes de acordo com quais limitacoes anteriores impostas pelo tempo foram superadas. E em um terceiro momento,examinarei a ideia de que a internet sinaliza uma sociedade mais democratica. Sera demonstrado que todos esses argumentos estao baseados em um tratamento nao-historico das tecnologias de comunicacao, e que esse tratamento e problematicamente interligado com uma compreensao do mundo atual hegemonica e neoliberal.

Is your book an edited collection or a monograph? • Please list fields of research that are relev... more Is your book an edited collection or a monograph? • Please list fields of research that are relevant to the publication. • Please discuss the intended audience for your book. Is it written primarily for scholars (if so, what disciplines), professionals (if so, which fields), or students (if so, what level)? Please be as specific and realistic as possible and remember that few books appeal to all of the above simultaneously. • Please write a clear, informative and persuasive description of the book. It should be written so that people with only basic knowledge of the field understand what this book is about.

Media & viestintä, Jun 19, 2014

Media & viestintä, Sep 26, 2014

Tutkimus & kritiikki

Artikkelissa tarkastellaan kriittisesti innovaatioita koskevia valtavirtanäkemyksiä nyky­kapitali... more Artikkelissa tarkastellaan kriittisesti innovaatioita koskevia valtavirtanäkemyksiä nyky­kapitalismille ominaisina ajatusmuotoina. Esitys nojautuu ns. Projekt Ideologie-Theo­rien (PIT) kehittelemään ideologiateoreettiseen näkökulmaan ja käsitteistöön. Ideologia­teoreettisesta perspektiivistä innovaatiota voi luonnehtia ”ideologiseksi arvoksi”, johon eri ideologiset mahdit vetoavat pyrkiessään organisoimaan hegemoniaansa. Artikkelissa käydään aluksi läpi hallitsevia tapoja ymmärtää innovaatioita. Tarkastelen yhtäältä suo­malaisen innovaatiopolitiikan kehitystä ja toisaalta taloustieteellisesti suuntautuneen in­novaatiotutkimuksen päälinjoja. Tätä seuraa kuvaus siitä, miten teknologisen innovoin­nin asemaa kapitalismissa on lähestytty marxilaisessa tutkimusperinteessä, minkä jälkeen analysoin innovaatiopuhetta kapitalismin uusliberaalille suhdanteelle ominaisena ilmiönä. Artikkelini keskeisenä väitteenä on, että valtavirtaisella innovaatiopuheella on poliittisesti ja ideologisesti mer...

Nordicom Review, 2020

During recent years, the concept of mediatization has made a strong impact on media and communica... more During recent years, the concept of mediatization has made a strong impact on media and communication studies, and its advocates have attempted to turn it into a refined and central theoretical framework for media research. The present article distinguishes two forms of mediatization theory: a strong form based on the assumption that a ‘media logic’ increasingly determines the actions of different social institutions and groups, and a weak form that questions such a logic, though the latter form emphasizes the key role of the media in social change and singles out mediatization as a central ‘meta-process’ today. Exponents of the weak form have convincingly criticized the notion of media logic. However, the weaker version of mediatization is itself problematic, as its advocates have failed to produce a clear explanatory framework around the concept. We argue that, although the analytical status of mediatization is unclear, fascination with the concept will, in all probability, contin...

Javnost - The Public, 2019

This article discusses the impact of the Cold War and its legacy on international communication r... more This article discusses the impact of the Cold War and its legacy on international communication research. Critically reconstructing the history of the Cold War in political-ideological terms, it demonstrates that this research area has been characterised by a battle between liberal internationalist theories and theories of imperialism, which has occurred in two stages. During the Cold War, Western liberal notions of modernisation were challenged by theories of media-cultural imperialism. The end of the Cold War led to a return of liberal notions in international communication research-though they appeared in a less Western-centric form-in association with globalisation theory. The article argues that with the demise of the post-Cold War globalisation zeitgeist and the return of major geopolitical conflicts, theories of "new imperialism", which focus on the interplay between "capitalist" and "territorial" imperialism, offer a fruitful foundation for understanding the early twenty-first century international media and communication order.

Critical Policy Studies, 2018

Instead of alternative economic ideas or institutional shifts, the post-financial crisis conjunct... more Instead of alternative economic ideas or institutional shifts, the post-financial crisis conjuncture has witnessed the persistence of neoliberal ideas and the strengthening of the institutions implementing them. Instructed by ideational institutionalism, this article analyzes the interplay between ideas and institutions by examining the public debate on economic policy in Finland during the euro crisis. We show how ideas formed by the dominant institutions of Finnish economic policy-making dominated the debate in the leading Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat in the years 2009-2014. The media and the elites coalesced around a consensus built by the Ministry of Finance and EU institutions, which demanded austerity and structural reforms to the Finnish economy. Our findings support claims that established institutional forces prevent ideational shifts even during major crisis periods. The media takes part in this through its unwillingness to provide alternative viewpoints on consensual political issues, thus strengthening a post-democratic public sphere.

Javnost - The Public, 2004

In this article, I will look at the status of critical research in contemporary analyses of the m... more In this article, I will look at the status of critical research in contemporary analyses of the media. This kind of assessment should only be done keeping Fredric Jamesons famous injunction in mind: always historicize! (Jameson 1981). Critical communication scholarship is a historically evolving field of research which has, since its inception, responded to key social and theoretical developments, of which globalisation is the most significant recent example. After a brief historical overview of critical media research, I will concentrate in a more detailed way on the question of how critical perspectives relate to contemporary discussions of the media and globalisation (which are mutually constitutive). I will present several accounts of the relationship between media and globalisation and offer an analysis and criticism of these. The critical starting point for this essay is the fact that during the last couple of decades communication research and the development of media have largely followed their own separate paths. At a time when the media has become more and more commercialised throughout the world, the field of media studies has neglected critical economic considerations of the media. Therefore, the re-introduction of critical economical considerations of the media is a necessity. I conclude the paper by briefly examining the question of how critical media theory should position itself in light of the changes that the current wave of media commercialisation and globalisation have brought about.

Critical Sociology, 2011

This article develops a critique of academic globalization theory from the viewpoint of media and... more This article develops a critique of academic globalization theory from the viewpoint of media and communications. First, it discusses the overall importance of media and communications for the core argument of globalization theory, namely that the contemporary period has witnessed a dramatic shift in the spatio-temporal constitution of society. This is followed by a reconstruction and critique of such a line of reasoning in the work of two notable globalization theorists, Manuel Castells and Arjun Appadurai. It is argued that their positions are founded on an overtly media-centric and unhistorical treatment of globalization that lacks a critical materialist analysis of how the global media sphere has developed in the recent decades. It is further argued that such positions can be understood in the context of the rise of neoliberalism that overlaps with the development of globalization theory.

TripleC, Jul 30, 2014

This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in in... more This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in information society theories (and also policies) in the previous four decades. We will examine the topic by focusing on the work of Daniel Bell and Manuel Castells, arguably two of the most important information society theorists. A key element in the academic shift from "post-industrial" (Bell) thinking to the discourse on "network society" (Castells) is that it has brought forward a different way of understanding the role of the state visa -vis the development of new information and communication technologies, as well as a new assessment of the role of the state in the economy and society at large. Against the Keynesian undertones of Bell's ideas, Castells' network society theory represents a neoliberally restructured version of "information society" that is associated with the rise of flexibility, individuality and a new culture of innovation. We argue that these changing discourses on the information society have served a definite hegemonic function for political elites, offering useful ideals and conceptions for forming politics and political compromises in different historical conjunctures. We conclude the article by looking at how the ongoing global economic crisis and neoliberalism's weakening hegemonic potential and turn to austerity and authoritarian solutions challenges existing information society theories.

Triplec Communication Capitalism Critique Open Access Journal For a Global Sustainable Information Society, Jul 30, 2014

This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in in... more This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in information society theories (and also policies) in the previous four decades. We will examine the topic by focusing on the work of Daniel Bell and Manuel Castells, arguably two of the most important information society theorists. A key element in the academic shift from "post-industrial" (Bell) thinking to the discourse on "network society" (Castells) is that it has brought forward a different way of understanding the role of the state vis-a-vis the development of new information and communication technologies, as well as a new assessment of the role of the state in the economy and society at large. Against the Keynesian undertones of Bell's ideas, Castells' network society theory represents a neoliberally restructured version of "information society" that is associated with the rise of flexibility, individuality and a new culture of innovation. We argue that these changing discourses on the information society have served a definite hegemonic function for political elites, offering useful ideals and conceptions for forming politics and political compromises in different historical conjunctures. We conclude the article by looking at how the on-going global economic crisis and neoliberalism's weakening hegemonic potential and turn to austerity and authoritarian solutions challenges existing information society theories.

Javnost - The Public, 2016

The neoliberal developments over the past 30 years have received much support from a set of ideas... more The neoliberal developments over the past 30 years have received much support from a set of ideas that can be defined as “the new spirit of capitalism”. These ideas have offered powerful legitimisations of neoliberalism, conceived as a progressive force that has replaced the supposedly bureaucratic structures of earlier Keynesian welfare states with market-driven network structures that allow innovations, creativity and entrepreneurship to flourish. In this article, I will critically examine the constituents of the new spirit of capitalism, in particular its intimate association with liberal discourses of innovation. I will then focus on how such ideas have come forward in recent information society thinking via a discussion of Manuel Castells's influential network society theory. This is followed by a critique of mainstream understandings of innovation from a neo-Marxist perspective, with an eye towards new information and communication technology and critical media research in times of a growing contestation of neoliberal hegemony.

Paragrafo Revista Cientifica De Comunicacao Social Da Fiam Faam, Dec 3, 2015

Neste artigo, examinarei criticamente as analises sobre as novas tecnologias de informacao e comu... more Neste artigo, examinarei criticamente as analises sobre as novas tecnologias de informacao e comunicacao por importantes sociologos contemporâneos, especialmente Manuel Castells. Primeiramente, discorrerei acerca de argumentos concernentes a chegada de uma nova logica de redes e fluxos. Em segundo lugar, avaliarei afirmacoes de acordo com quais limitacoes anteriores impostas pelo tempo foram superadas. E em um terceiro momento,examinarei a ideia de que a internet sinaliza uma sociedade mais democratica. Sera demonstrado que todos esses argumentos estao baseados em um tratamento nao-historico das tecnologias de comunicacao, e que esse tratamento e problematicamente interligado com uma compreensao do mundo atual hegemonica e neoliberal.

Is your book an edited collection or a monograph? • Please list fields of research that are relev... more Is your book an edited collection or a monograph? • Please list fields of research that are relevant to the publication. • Please discuss the intended audience for your book. Is it written primarily for scholars (if so, what disciplines), professionals (if so, which fields), or students (if so, what level)? Please be as specific and realistic as possible and remember that few books appeal to all of the above simultaneously. • Please write a clear, informative and persuasive description of the book. It should be written so that people with only basic knowledge of the field understand what this book is about.

Media & viestintä, Jun 19, 2014

Media & viestintä, Sep 26, 2014

Tutkimus & kritiikki

Artikkelissa tarkastellaan kriittisesti innovaatioita koskevia valtavirtanäkemyksiä nyky­kapitali... more Artikkelissa tarkastellaan kriittisesti innovaatioita koskevia valtavirtanäkemyksiä nyky­kapitalismille ominaisina ajatusmuotoina. Esitys nojautuu ns. Projekt Ideologie-Theo­rien (PIT) kehittelemään ideologiateoreettiseen näkökulmaan ja käsitteistöön. Ideologia­teoreettisesta perspektiivistä innovaatiota voi luonnehtia ”ideologiseksi arvoksi”, johon eri ideologiset mahdit vetoavat pyrkiessään organisoimaan hegemoniaansa. Artikkelissa käydään aluksi läpi hallitsevia tapoja ymmärtää innovaatioita. Tarkastelen yhtäältä suo­malaisen innovaatiopolitiikan kehitystä ja toisaalta taloustieteellisesti suuntautuneen in­novaatiotutkimuksen päälinjoja. Tätä seuraa kuvaus siitä, miten teknologisen innovoin­nin asemaa kapitalismissa on lähestytty marxilaisessa tutkimusperinteessä, minkä jälkeen analysoin innovaatiopuhetta kapitalismin uusliberaalille suhdanteelle ominaisena ilmiönä. Artikkelini keskeisenä väitteenä on, että valtavirtaisella innovaatiopuheella on poliittisesti ja ideologisesti mer...

Nordicom Review, 2020

During recent years, the concept of mediatization has made a strong impact on media and communica... more During recent years, the concept of mediatization has made a strong impact on media and communication studies, and its advocates have attempted to turn it into a refined and central theoretical framework for media research. The present article distinguishes two forms of mediatization theory: a strong form based on the assumption that a ‘media logic’ increasingly determines the actions of different social institutions and groups, and a weak form that questions such a logic, though the latter form emphasizes the key role of the media in social change and singles out mediatization as a central ‘meta-process’ today. Exponents of the weak form have convincingly criticized the notion of media logic. However, the weaker version of mediatization is itself problematic, as its advocates have failed to produce a clear explanatory framework around the concept. We argue that, although the analytical status of mediatization is unclear, fascination with the concept will, in all probability, contin...

Javnost - The Public, 2019

This article discusses the impact of the Cold War and its legacy on international communication r... more This article discusses the impact of the Cold War and its legacy on international communication research. Critically reconstructing the history of the Cold War in political-ideological terms, it demonstrates that this research area has been characterised by a battle between liberal internationalist theories and theories of imperialism, which has occurred in two stages. During the Cold War, Western liberal notions of modernisation were challenged by theories of media-cultural imperialism. The end of the Cold War led to a return of liberal notions in international communication research-though they appeared in a less Western-centric form-in association with globalisation theory. The article argues that with the demise of the post-Cold War globalisation zeitgeist and the return of major geopolitical conflicts, theories of "new imperialism", which focus on the interplay between "capitalist" and "territorial" imperialism, offer a fruitful foundation for understanding the early twenty-first century international media and communication order.

Critical Policy Studies, 2018

Instead of alternative economic ideas or institutional shifts, the post-financial crisis conjunct... more Instead of alternative economic ideas or institutional shifts, the post-financial crisis conjuncture has witnessed the persistence of neoliberal ideas and the strengthening of the institutions implementing them. Instructed by ideational institutionalism, this article analyzes the interplay between ideas and institutions by examining the public debate on economic policy in Finland during the euro crisis. We show how ideas formed by the dominant institutions of Finnish economic policy-making dominated the debate in the leading Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat in the years 2009-2014. The media and the elites coalesced around a consensus built by the Ministry of Finance and EU institutions, which demanded austerity and structural reforms to the Finnish economy. Our findings support claims that established institutional forces prevent ideational shifts even during major crisis periods. The media takes part in this through its unwillingness to provide alternative viewpoints on consensual political issues, thus strengthening a post-democratic public sphere.

Javnost - The Public, 2004

In this article, I will look at the status of critical research in contemporary analyses of the m... more In this article, I will look at the status of critical research in contemporary analyses of the media. This kind of assessment should only be done keeping Fredric Jamesons famous injunction in mind: always historicize! (Jameson 1981). Critical communication scholarship is a historically evolving field of research which has, since its inception, responded to key social and theoretical developments, of which globalisation is the most significant recent example. After a brief historical overview of critical media research, I will concentrate in a more detailed way on the question of how critical perspectives relate to contemporary discussions of the media and globalisation (which are mutually constitutive). I will present several accounts of the relationship between media and globalisation and offer an analysis and criticism of these. The critical starting point for this essay is the fact that during the last couple of decades communication research and the development of media have largely followed their own separate paths. At a time when the media has become more and more commercialised throughout the world, the field of media studies has neglected critical economic considerations of the media. Therefore, the re-introduction of critical economical considerations of the media is a necessity. I conclude the paper by briefly examining the question of how critical media theory should position itself in light of the changes that the current wave of media commercialisation and globalisation have brought about.

Critical Sociology, 2011

This article develops a critique of academic globalization theory from the viewpoint of media and... more This article develops a critique of academic globalization theory from the viewpoint of media and communications. First, it discusses the overall importance of media and communications for the core argument of globalization theory, namely that the contemporary period has witnessed a dramatic shift in the spatio-temporal constitution of society. This is followed by a reconstruction and critique of such a line of reasoning in the work of two notable globalization theorists, Manuel Castells and Arjun Appadurai. It is argued that their positions are founded on an overtly media-centric and unhistorical treatment of globalization that lacks a critical materialist analysis of how the global media sphere has developed in the recent decades. It is further argued that such positions can be understood in the context of the rise of neoliberalism that overlaps with the development of globalization theory.

TripleC, Jul 30, 2014

This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in in... more This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in information society theories (and also policies) in the previous four decades. We will examine the topic by focusing on the work of Daniel Bell and Manuel Castells, arguably two of the most important information society theorists. A key element in the academic shift from "post-industrial" (Bell) thinking to the discourse on "network society" (Castells) is that it has brought forward a different way of understanding the role of the state visa -vis the development of new information and communication technologies, as well as a new assessment of the role of the state in the economy and society at large. Against the Keynesian undertones of Bell's ideas, Castells' network society theory represents a neoliberally restructured version of "information society" that is associated with the rise of flexibility, individuality and a new culture of innovation. We argue that these changing discourses on the information society have served a definite hegemonic function for political elites, offering useful ideals and conceptions for forming politics and political compromises in different historical conjunctures. We conclude the article by looking at how the ongoing global economic crisis and neoliberalism's weakening hegemonic potential and turn to austerity and authoritarian solutions challenges existing information society theories.

Triplec Communication Capitalism Critique Open Access Journal For a Global Sustainable Information Society, Jul 30, 2014

This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in in... more This article critically discusses the intellectual and conceptual shifts that have occurred in information society theories (and also policies) in the previous four decades. We will examine the topic by focusing on the work of Daniel Bell and Manuel Castells, arguably two of the most important information society theorists. A key element in the academic shift from "post-industrial" (Bell) thinking to the discourse on "network society" (Castells) is that it has brought forward a different way of understanding the role of the state vis-a-vis the development of new information and communication technologies, as well as a new assessment of the role of the state in the economy and society at large. Against the Keynesian undertones of Bell's ideas, Castells' network society theory represents a neoliberally restructured version of "information society" that is associated with the rise of flexibility, individuality and a new culture of innovation. We argue that these changing discourses on the information society have served a definite hegemonic function for political elites, offering useful ideals and conceptions for forming politics and political compromises in different historical conjunctures. We conclude the article by looking at how the on-going global economic crisis and neoliberalism's weakening hegemonic potential and turn to austerity and authoritarian solutions challenges existing information society theories.