CRISIS-MOTIVATED DEPENDENCY: HOW TELEVISION TALK SHOWS SCHOOL THE LEBANESE PUBLIC AGENDA DURING STATE FAILURE

Abstract [English]

The media system experiences a structural change following such a fundamental transformation in a failing state environment whereby there is a paralysis of the public institutions and an overall lack of credibility in the system. This paper examines how television talk shows, i.e. on MTV, Al-Jadeed and Al-Manar are the main means of navigation among the Lebanese youths. Beyond the description analysis, the study will use a Functional-Dependency Model to describe how media reliance serves as a survival mechanism.

The research relies on a 2-method design, content analysis of talk show programs and a field survey of 200 Lebanese youth to identify a deep level of Navigational Dependency (rho=0.73rho=0.73). These results reveal that media framing effectively solves the ambiguity of the economic meltdown into making the extent of Priority Convergence (ρ=0.67 0.67=0.67) between the media agenda and popular consciousness high. The research is presented with the conclusion that the television talk shows act as Shadow State, which is offering a cognitive structure to a topography of institutional destruction. Nevertheless, this dependency is characterized by a Paradox of Anxiety when cognitive clarity of high level is traced with considerable affective suffering.