Lafon, Benoît
Exoplanets mediatization. From new Earths to habitability, horizons of expectations of space exploration
- 2023.
86
This article analyzes the media coverage of exoplanets and related issues, in particular the search for extraterrestrial life outside and in the solar system (mainly on Mars). The purpose is to highlight the eventialization of exoplanets by the news media (TV, daily press and magazines) leading to the collective sharing of horizons of expectation on these questions. It is also a question of detecting and describing these horizons by an analysis of French and American science popularization magazines. The media coverage of exoplanets then reflects evolving questions about the existence of “new Earths” or “habitability”. These new internationalized narratives accompany investments in the field of space exploration in a logic of proximity, justifying the exploitation of new markets linked to the booming field of New Space. The media coverage of actors such as SpaceX and Blue Origin is then added to that of scientists, now enjoined to systematically publicize their discoveries.