IntroductionThe purpose of this article is to achieve a better understanding of political communication through a critical review of Jesper Stromback's four-dimensional concept of the mediatization of politics. The essay is divided into three parts as follows. In the first part, the concepts of mediation and mediatization are presented, which contribute to founding Stromback's theories. In the second part, Stromback's concept of the mediatization of politics is deconstructed. With the help of such a concept, political communication can be perceived as a process in which adaptations between politics and media, as well as competitions between media logic and political logic, are involved. The final section of the paper highlights the limitations of Stromback's concept and further illustrates the extent to which political communication can be better understood. Political communication, in this context, should be conceived as a process conducted under the functions of different variations beyond the spheres of media and politics. The concepts of mediation and mediatization Stromback's four-dimensional concept of mediatization of politics can be perceived as the application of Mediation and mediatization in political communication. To better deconstruct his theories, the following paragraphs will introduce the two terms and their relevant characteristics that fit his concept. Mediation and mediatization should be conceived as two different concepts. In general, mediation refers to acts of message transmission, intervention or reconciliation between media institutions and other social actors or institutions (Mazzoleni & Schulz, 1999:249). In mediated political communication, media become central to the inputs and outputs of information in...... middle of paper ......l Communication, 16:3, 247-261.Schulz, W. (2004 ) Reconstructing Mediatization as an analytical concept, European Journal of Communication, 19: 87-101. Schweitzer, E.J. (2012) The Mediatization of E-Campaigning: Evidence From German Party Websites in State, National and European Parliament Elections 2002-2009, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17: 283-302. Silverstone, R. (2002) Complicity and Collusion in the Mediation of Everyday Life, New Literary History, Volumn 33, Number 4, pp. 761-780. Stromback, J. and Esser, F. (2009) Shaping Politics: Mediatization and Media Interventionism, in Lundby, K (ed.) Mediatization: concept, changes, consequences. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc, pp. 205-223. Stromback, J. (2008) Four phases of mediatization: an analysis of the mediatization of politics, The International Journal of Press/Politics, 13: 228-246.