Mediacracy

Mediacracy, Mediastocracy or Mediarchy, literally The Rule of The Media is a form of government in which power political power is concentrated within Mass Media. Mediacracy usually maintains itself Democratic means and aligns with authoritarian ideologies.

History

Media has been noted as having a very significant influence within politics since 18th century, as noted by the concept of the Fourth Estate of which coining is attributed to the Classical Conservative writer and politician Edmund Burke (although others have been attributed the title). Showing the press as being a threat to traditional power structure of Europe of which was made up of three estates.

The concept was later expanded upon in the 19th century, with the example being the Irish poet Oscar Wilde who wrote in his essay "The Soul of Man Under Socialism" the following:

In old days men had the rack. Now they have the Press. That is an improvement certainly. But still it is very bad, and wrong, and demoralizing. Somebody — was it Burke? — called journalism the fourth estate. That was true at the time no doubt. But at the present moment it is the only estate. It has eaten up the other three. The Lords Temporal say nothing, the The Lords Spiritual have nothing to say, and the House of Commons has nothing to say and says it. We are dominated by Journalism.
Oscar Wilde, Soul of Man Under Socialism

With the introduction of the radio, television and later the internet in the 20th century the concept of media rule was later expanded upon. Including writers such as the conservative political pundit Kevin P. Philips (who coined the term "Mediacracy"), the libertarian socialist activist Noam Chomsky, the libertarian author Fabian Tassano (who argued that dumbing down of mass media is an effect that ultimately leads to the a society of faux-egalitarianism) and the neoreactionary blogger Mencius Moldbug (Who argued that the media (along with universities) ultimately have the power to decide the intellectual hegemony of entire countries a power previously afforded to religious institutions).