The book by Slaviša Orlović, “Monitoring Democracy: the Complex Relationship Between Media, Politics, and Democracy,” examines the interplay of media, politics, and democracy through a content analysis of the most important, relevant, yet insufficiently studied phenomena from the beginning of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century.

The significance of media and public opinion for democracy, the role of media and journalists in holding power accountable, the media and democracy’s pursuit of the majority, the medialization and televising of politics, media personalization in politics, the role of media in consent production and meaning creation, and in changing politics and politicians, are the fundamental thematic anchors of this book.

The author aims to answer questions regarding the extent to which public opinion is shaped or followed due to concerns about ratings, the influence of the internet on informing and mobilizing citizens while potentially eroding privacy, the role of social media concerning democracy, and whether a supervisory paradigm and digital totalitarianism of social media have been established.