In the process of political, economic and social changes that have taken place in Poland since 1989, state radio and television, so far carefully controlled by the communist government, could not remain unaff ected. The establishment of a new order required several years and involved numerous changes in management and the content of programs. It is often said that this process has not been completed yet. What can be observed a$ er twenty years of transformation is the commercialization of media, whose “public” status is present only in their name. This is particularly apparent in the analysis of Polish television. In fact, the activity of this media is based on certain market mechanisms, including the desire to reach high viewership, attract the attention of advertisers and as a consequence, to maximize profit.

Homo sapiens in information society
Abstract: This publication discusses the problem of the origin of informationbased society and the impact of its most important processes on human life. The author in her work shows how commercialization, and above all “McDonaldization” and consumerism changed the picture of modern human individual, and of society as a whole. Her discussion starts by individual epochs in human history, ending at the stage of the invention of the computer, and then the popularization of the Internet. In the first passage the publication introduces the reader to the world of information- based society by providing its origins and development. Then, it directs attention toward the processes inherent to a society based on information, focusing mainly on consumerism and commercialization and their impact on contemporary media. The author connects the concept of consumerism with the culture of digital narcissism and indicates its’ impact on today’s youth.