A public sphere is a space where people come together to exchange ideas and information and the feelings they have towards a particular idea or topic. Jurgen Habermas is the man behind the theory of a public sphere and described it as ‘the space in which citizens debate about common concerns.’
Originally it was largely the men of middle class and land-owning people that participated in the public sphere and it excluded women and other minorities. Whereas today’s public sphere is more inclusive and has become highly mediated because it provokes debates on issues through media on topics such as politics, gender, sexual identity, sexual behaviour and cultural differences. Structurally, the theory of a public sphere has been altered by the media being right at our fingertips, for a further look into the history behind ‘the public sphere’, the clip below explains what a public sphere was before to what it is now. Go check it out!
Television shows including Q & A and Insight present issues to an audience and initiate debate surrounding these issues. It is people coming together on these public broadcasting shows that make it a highly mediated public sphere. This doesn’t sound to dissimilar to Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Does this make it a public sphere also?
When I think about what my public sphere is I would regard Facebook as well as general day to day chat with friends and family my public sphere. It is the conversation and discussions that happen in these two separate spaces where I am more inclined to follow issues and engage in discussion about them .
Facebook as a public sphere operates in a system where people can post statuses, links to blogs or other websites, make groups/pages of a particular issue and videos and photos to share with the public. It is a platform that can be utilised in hope of voicing opinions and issues and as a result sparking debate.
The most recent issue that is on my facebook news feed is a page for NSW Farmers, who have the hashtag #ProtectOurFarms. It is fighting the issue of animal activists illegally trespassing onto farms. An extremist act trying to force their beliefs onto others in the community. This issue is being debated and shared on my news feed as I am from a rural town, where farming is a major part of my family history and community. The people in my community are hardworking citizens just going about their lives like anyone else to make a living and provide Australia with the food produce you find on the shelves of your super market.
All of facebook can potentially be included in the debate of this issue, but who is excluded? The people that are excluded are those without Facebook as this page is only on this social media platform. However that does not limit the debate to Facebook. This issue is presented across television such as Nine News, therefore opens the debate up to another public sphere which can lead into a conversation at the dinner table… also a public sphere!
Media has a major role in the broadcast of this concern, as without Facebook and TV, it would not be so easy to share the page or issue to the public. Within seconds of a hashtag or Tv airtime, it can go viral. Do you think that the public sphere has become degrading and has a strong focus on consumer capitalism? Or has it created opportunites for debate in different spaces and more inclusion of groups within society?
I’m interested to know if anyone doesn’t use the media as their public sphere, particularly when it is everywhere we look! If you do use the media as your public sphere, do you think this is a positive or negative transformation of the idea of a public sphere?
Drop your comments below and let’s start a discussion using WordPress as a public sphere!
References
NineNewsAustralia, 2019, ‘Militant Vegans Stage World’s Biggest Animal Rights Protest’, Viewed 10 April 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoPneSHfolk
Then & Now, 2017, ‘Habermas: The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, Viewed 10 April 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v+R1K46oK3xTU
Image: https://rampages.us/jgellock/2017/10/26/the-evolution-of-the-public-sphere/
Image: https://medium.com/@sarasaliby/social-media-the-new-public-sphere-2ae15a397c56
Georgia Woods 
So many interesting points you’ve covered. I really like how you’ve created a space yourself in the form of this blog and the medium of WordPress to further discussion and hence create yet another public sphere. Personally, it is so hard for me to reach a final decision on whether the mediated public sphere is positive or negative as there is quite a balanced argument between both. On one side I think it’s fantastic as it is more open to everyone and doesn’t exclude women and other minorities. However, it is also concerning how easy it is for people to spread hatred. I’d also love to see whether there are those who don’t necessarily use a media outlet as their public sphere despite its prominence in today’s society.
LikeLike