Mediationsuch

Mediationsuch is a term used in interdisciplinary studies to describe a mode of inquiry that treats mediation as both a process and an object of study. It focuses on how intermediaries—human, organizational, and technological—shape disputes, interpretations, and actions, and how those mediators themselves become subjects of analysis. The concept emphasizes that what counts as mediation can vary across contexts and scales, from interpersonal negotiations to algorithmic governance.

Etymology and usage: The term is a neologism that combines the idea of mediation with a demonstrative suffix implying a particular form or instance. It has appeared in scholarly discussions within media studies, anthropology, and science and technology studies as a way to name a reflexive stance toward mediation processes.

Conceptual framework: Mediationsuch foregrounds reflexivity, tracing not only outcomes but the mediators, artifacts, and modalities that produce them. It invites examination of mediation chains, including documents, platforms, rules, and routines, and how these elements influence knowledge, power, and action. The approach often employs discourse analysis, ethnography, and case studies to illuminate how meaning and legitimacy are constructed through mediation.

Applications: The term finds use in analyses of legal mediation, civic deliberation, online communities, and platform governance. It helps researchers reveal how power circulates through intermediaries and how participants mobilize mediators to achieve desired ends, while also considering the researchers’ own mediating role in data collection and interpretation.

Criticisms: Some scholars view mediationsuch as overly broad or vague, risking conceptual conflation of diverse mediation practices. Proponents argue that its reflexive emphasis clarifies how mediation shapes knowledge and social action.

See also: mediation theory, actant-network theory, boundary object, platform studies.