Beyond the VUCA: A Diachronic Rethinking of Paradigmatic Phases in Computational Political Communication

The global communication order is shaped by the political power and discursive strategies of major countries. Political communication research is key to understanding the current international landscape, yet few studies have examined its diachronic evolution over the long term. Based on 27 years of research and 15 725 publications, this study explores the evolution of paradigmatic phases in political communication. Four key phases are summarized: disintermediation marked by allowing direct access to political information, recentralization in which dominant political and economic forces reassert control over communication channels, circlization defined by the emergence of online communities centered around shared interests, and VUCA characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Two possible futures are foreseen. Optimistically, a rebalanced, fairer, and rational communication order would emerge. Conversely, the world may sink into a new dark age, defined by repression and the rampant spread of manipulative, deceptive information.