• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.48
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• pp.90-108
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• 2009

While the term of the institution as social manifestation has been discussed intensively through various theoretical approaches over the last few years in Social Sciences, such a debate has been missing so far in Communication Sciences. This paper attempts a theoretical discussion about the media as an institution in the field of Communication Sciences by applying the theory of organizational sociological neo-institutionalism. This research started out with the question which influence exerts the media on organizations and participants. The media is understood as an institution in the sense of permanent monitoring systems which create a) normative expectations b) which become stronger in order to assert such normative expectations c) the norms are applied by the participants d) in this application process, the participants accept the organizations, look primarily for the chosen paragraphs and exert an influence to change the norms. Organizations orient themselves at the institutional rules, because this way, they want to gain legitimacy and support. The media unfold their influence on organizations through certain obligations in addition to the pressure of the participants who deal with the organization and the media. Thus, media cannot exert influence independent from the organizationbut the participants accept the situation, which is generated by the many conflicting processes within the organization, they analyse them and transfer them.