Jurgen Habermas created the phrase public sphere in 1962; he imagined this sphere to be like an 18th-century coffee shop filled with the intellectual “upper class” people. A space where people would critically discuss and debate new ideas and issues around the world free of social and political pressures. In comparison, Habermas would cast “ordinary” people the role of the audience where they would observe the debates and have no verbal input. (Bruns & Highfield 2016)
With the internet and social media forever changing and evolving, the term ‘public sphere’ is growing with it. Some people argue that with the rise of social media, It’s not seen as a public sphere as it gets lost through the internet and anyone can participate.
However, I disagree. I think it’s a more inclusive and modern version of a “public sphere”.
For myself, my public sphere is a mix. up until recently, my sphere consisted of Instagram with a hint of Facebook. It was a way to connect and engage with topics and relevant information the people you follow choose to post. With social media evolving and linking with different platforms, its easy for each sphere to overlap and we as the users can determine who enters our sphere and vice versa.
My sphere within Instagram consists of my friends, family, friends of friends, people who inspire me and have a positive impact on mental health, and a few celebrities/ influencers. I can choose who I engage with, so in a sense, I control my sphere.
When I started my degree, my choices for a ‘public sphere’ grew, and Twitter has taken up a large portion of my contribution to discussion and debate. It’s a place where I engage with my peers and teachers #bcm110 #bcm113 @UOWDMS and discuss relevant issues within each subject and discuss current topics. I have found Twitter to be the most inclusive of public spheres as it gives everyone to be able to access information about ‘trending’ issues. If you have an account, it provides the user with the opportunity to contribute to the conversations. However, people who may be seen as excluded would be lower socioeconomic countries who may not access to technology and the older generation.
Within any sphere, issues can arise. Within the world of Twitter, it’s easy for people to debate with one another. A problem I find within this vertical community is that people can hide behind a screen and create issues within the virtual community.
The global pandemic of COVID-19 a severe health issue relevant to everyone has been trending on twitter for the past couple of months. Hashtags, for instance, #covid_19 and one in particular #COVIDIOTS are both significant to this issue and has been a current hot spot for discussion.
The media plays a massive role in what is spoken about within the public sphere of Twitter as it is a significant source for all News stories. News channels/ newspapers and politicians such as Donald Trump (although his views are sceptical) share stories and their opinions via this platform. These accounts disperse information, and the issues go viral. Users create hashtags that start ‘trending’ to create conversation and share their views.
So let me know? Where is your public sphere?
Lucy xx
REFERENCE LIST
Bruns, a. and Highfield, T., 2016. Is Habermas on Twitter? Social Media and the Public Sphere. [online] p.99.
Lucybonfield 