This article rethinks the concept of the mediatization of politics from a culturalist perspective, rebuilding the concept through five arguments: the first two are focused on the symbolic dimension of the issue in the context of the naturalized hegemonic media; the third presents it as a conceptual tool helpful to study the way citizens increasingly interact with media technologies and forms to engage with politics; the fourth poses it as a state of affairs where individuals and groups develop cultural patterns of media connectivity that lead to politically mediatized situations; the last proposes this state of affairs as the “fourth age” of political communication: An age of media hegemony. Hugo Chávez's politically mediatized Venezuela serves as an illustration.

This article critically explores whether and how computer-generated imagery (CGI) characters are jamming public relations and influencer practices. We use Miquela, a virtual character with 3 million Instagram followers as a case study. We examine Miquela’s (and her creators’) communication strategies to identify what makes her so appealing to postmillennial audiences, luxury and indie brands, and civil rights activists alike. Valued at USD125 million, Miquela is algorithmically moulded as a fashionista, singer and civil rights warrior to maximise visibility, influence and emotional release. ‘Her’ discordant, uncanny human/nonhuman ethos simultaneously attracts, intrigues and defies. To study Miquela’s case we built a four-tiered theoretical framework (parasocial relations, identity influence, culture jamming, and algorithmic branding) using the Freudian concept of ‘the uncanny’ as connecting thread; and a mixed method that includes digital ethnography, textual and sentiment analysis. We aim to make a contribution to studies on the use of digital media in PR.

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