Digital Networks and Democratic PossibilitiesHabermas’ Public Sphere in Contemporary E-Societies

Mr. Anirban Sarma

doi:10.65301/ijcd.2012.1.4.138

Articles Vol. 1 Issue 4 Jan - Mar 2012

DOI 10.65301/ijcd.2012.1.4.138

Digital Networks and Democratic PossibilitiesHabermas’ Public Sphere in Contemporary E-Societies

Authors

MR

Mr. Anirban Sarma

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107 Downloads

Published 2012-01-30

Pages 10-18

Abstract

This essay asserts the relevance of Jürgen Habermas’ concept of a public sphere for political engagement via the Internet. It contends that the Internet’s openness to popular participation affords greater democratic potential than the traditional media in media-rich societies. Democratic participation on the Internet complements and affects the operations of more formal political structures, adapting to and creating new trends in political engagement.

References

• Almeida, Tico, Personal Testimony, [http://depts. washington.edu/wtohist/testimonies/TicoAlmeida.htm]; accessed on 23.12.07.
• Bennett, W Lance, (2001), ‘New Media Power: The Internet and Global Activism’, in Nick Couldry and James Curran, eds, Contesting Media Power, Rowman and Littlefield, London. Available at [http://depts.washington.edu/gcp/pdf/bennettnmpower.pdf]; accessed on 20.12.07.
• (2003), ‘Communicating Global Activism: Strengths and Vulnerabilities of Networked Politics’, Information, Communication and Society, 6(2): 143–68.
• Calhoun, Craig, (1992), ‘Introduction: Habermas and the Public Sphere’, in Craig Calhoun, ed, Habermas and the Public Sphere, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
• Castells, Manuel, (2001), The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• (2004a), ‘Informationalism, Networks, and the Network Society: A Theoretical Blueprint’, in Manuel Castells, ed, The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
• (2004b), The Power of Identity, Vol. 2, 2nd edn, Blackwell, Oxford.
• Cleaver, Harry M, (1998), ‘The Zapatista Effect: The Internet and the Rise of an Alternative Political Fabric’, Journal of International Affairs, 51(2): 621–40.
• Coleman, Stephen, (2007), ‘E-Democracy: The History and Future of an Idea’ in Robin Mansell et al, eds, The Oxford Handbook of Information and Communication Technologies, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• Cover, Jane, Personal Testimony, http://depts.washington.edu/wtohist/testimonies/JaneCover.htm]; accessed on 23.12.07.
• Dahlberg, Lincoln, (2001a), ‘Extending the Public Sphere through Cyberspace: The Case of Minnesota E-Democracy’, First Monday, 6(3). Available at [http:// www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/838/747]; accessed on 15.01.08.
• (2001b), ‘The Internet and Democratic Discourse: Exploring the Prospects of Online Deliberative Forums Extending the Public Sphere’, Information, Communication and Society, 4(4): 615–33.
• (2007), ‘The Internet and Discursive Exclusion: From Deliberative to Agonistic Public Sphere Theory’, in Lincoln Dahlberg and Eugenia Siapera, eds, Radical Democracy and the Internet: Interrogating Theory and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
• Dahlgren, Peter, (2000a), ‘Media, Citizenship and Civic Culture’, in James Curran and Michael Gurevitch, eds, Mass Media and Society, 3rd edn, Arnold, London.
• (2000b), ‘The Internet and the Democratization of Civic Culture’, Political Communication, 17(4): 335– 40.
• (2001a), ‘The Transformation of Democracy?’, in Barrie Axford and Richard Huggins, eds, New Media and Politics, Sage, London.
• (2001b), ‘The Public Sphere and the Net: Structure, Space and Communication’, in W Lance Bennett and
Robert M Entman, eds, Mediated Politics: Communication in the Future of Democracy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
• Habermas, Jurgen, (1964), ‘The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article’, New German Critique, 1(3).
• (1989), The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, trans. Thomas Burger, Polity Press, Cambridge.
• (1992), ‘Further Reflections on the Public Sphere’, in Craig Calhoun, ed, Habermas and the Public Sphere, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
• (1996), Between Facts and Norms, trans. William Rehg, Polity Press, Cambridge.
• Hatcher, Mark, (2003), ‘Public Affairs Challenges for Multinational Corporations’, in Steve John and Stuart Thompson, eds, New Activism and the Corporate Response, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
• Juris, Jeffrey, (2004), ‘Networked Social Movements: Global Movements for Global Justice’, in Manuel Castells, ed, The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
• Kirkpatrick, David, (2011), The Facebook Effect, Virgin Books, London.
• Mezrich, Ben, (2010), The Accidental Billionaires: Sex, Money, Betrayal and the Founding of Facebook, Arrow, London.
• Palczewski, Catherine Helen, (2001), ‘Cyber-movements, New Social Movements, and Counter publics’, in Robert Asen and Daniel C Brouwer, eds, Counter publics and the State, SUNY Press, Albany.
• Pinter, Andrej, and Tanja Oblak, (2006), ‘Is There a Public Sphere in This Discussion Forum?’, in Katharine Sarikakis and Daya K Thussu, eds, Ideologies of the Internet, Hampton Press, Creskill, NJ.
• Rucht, Dieter, (2004), ‘The Quadruple “A”: Media Strategies of Protest Movements since the 1960s’, in Wim van de Donk et al, eds, Cyber-protest: New Media, Citizens and Social Movements, Routledge, London.
• Sassi, Sinikka, (2001), ‘The Transformation of the Public Sphere?’, in Barrie Axford and Richard Huggins, eds, New Media and Politics, Sage, London.
• Sey, Arabella, and Manuel Castells, (2004), ‘From Media Politics to Networked Politics: The Internet and the Political Process’, in Manuel Castells, ed, The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
• Sparks, Colin, (2001), ‘The Internet and the Global Public Sphere’, in W Lance Bennett and Robert M Entman, eds, Mediated Politics: Communication in the Future of Democracy, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Thompson, John B, (1990), Ideology and Modern Culture: Critical Social Theory in the Era of Mass Communication, Polity, Cambridge.
• (1995), The Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media, Polity, Cambridge.
• Van Aelst, Peter and Stefaan Walgrave, (2004), ‘New Media, New Movements?’, in Wim van de Donk et al, eds, Cyber-protest: New Media, Citizens and Social Movements, Routledge, London.
• van den Besselaar, Peter, and Dennis Beckers, (2005), ‘The Life and Death of the Great Amsterdam Digital City’, in Peter van den Besselaar and Satoshi Koizumi, eds, Digital Cities III: Information Technologies for Social Capital – Cross-cultural Perspectives, Springer, Amsterdam.
• Wellman, Barry, (2000), ‘Changing Connectivity: A Future History of Y2.03K’, Sociological Research Online, 4(4). Available at [http://www.socresonline.org. uk/4/4/wellman.html]; accessed on 25.12.07.

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Mr. Anirban Sarma . (2012). Digital Networks and Democratic PossibilitiesHabermas’ Public Sphere in Contemporary E-Societies. International Journal of Communication Development , 1(4), 10-18.

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[1] • Almeida, Tico, Personal Testimony, [http://depts. washington.edu/wtohist/testimonies/TicoAlmeida.htm]; accessed on 23.12.07.

[2] • Bennett, W Lance, (2001), ‘New Media Power: The Internet and Global Activism’, in Nick Couldry and James Curran, eds, Contesting Media Power, Rowman and Littlefield, London. Available at [http://depts.washington.edu/gcp/pdf/bennettnmpower.pdf]; accessed on 20.12.07.

[3] • (2003), ‘Communicating Global Activism: Strengths and Vulnerabilities of Networked Politics’, Information, Communication and Society, 6(2): 143–68.

[4] • Calhoun, Craig, (1992), ‘Introduction: Habermas and the Public Sphere’, in Craig Calhoun, ed, Habermas and the Public Sphere, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

[5] • Castells, Manuel, (2001), The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

[6] • (2004a), ‘Informationalism, Networks, and the Network Society: A Theoretical Blueprint’, in Manuel Castells, ed, The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

[7] • (2004b), The Power of Identity, Vol. 2, 2nd edn, Blackwell, Oxford.

[8] • Cleaver, Harry M, (1998), ‘The Zapatista Effect: The Internet and the Rise of an Alternative Political Fabric’, Journal of International Affairs, 51(2): 621–40.

[9] • Coleman, Stephen, (2007), ‘E-Democracy: The History and Future of an Idea’ in Robin Mansell et al, eds, The Oxford Handbook of Information and Communication Technologies, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

[10] • Cover, Jane, Personal Testimony, http://depts.washington.edu/wtohist/testimonies/JaneCover.htm]; accessed on 23.12.07.

[11] • Dahlberg, Lincoln, (2001a), ‘Extending the Public Sphere through Cyberspace: The Case of Minnesota E-Democracy’, First Monday, 6(3). Available at [http:// www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/838/747]; accessed on 15.01.08.

[12] • (2001b), ‘The Internet and Democratic Discourse: Exploring the Prospects of Online Deliberative Forums Extending the Public Sphere’, Information, Communication and Society, 4(4): 615–33.

[13] • (2007), ‘The Internet and Discursive Exclusion: From Deliberative to Agonistic Public Sphere Theory’, in Lincoln Dahlberg and Eugenia Siapera, eds, Radical Democracy and the Internet: Interrogating Theory and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.

[14] • Dahlgren, Peter, (2000a), ‘Media, Citizenship and Civic Culture’, in James Curran and Michael Gurevitch, eds, Mass Media and Society, 3rd edn, Arnold, London.

[15] • (2000b), ‘The Internet and the Democratization of Civic Culture’, Political Communication, 17(4): 335– 40.

[16] • (2001a), ‘The Transformation of Democracy?’, in Barrie Axford and Richard Huggins, eds, New Media and Politics, Sage, London.

[17] • (2001b), ‘The Public Sphere and the Net: Structure, Space and Communication’, in W Lance Bennett and

[18] Robert M Entman, eds, Mediated Politics: Communication in the Future of Democracy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

[19] • Habermas, Jurgen, (1964), ‘The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article’, New German Critique, 1(3).

[20] • (1989), The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, trans. Thomas Burger, Polity Press, Cambridge.

[21] • (1992), ‘Further Reflections on the Public Sphere’, in Craig Calhoun, ed, Habermas and the Public Sphere, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

[22] • (1996), Between Facts and Norms, trans. William Rehg, Polity Press, Cambridge.

[23] • Hatcher, Mark, (2003), ‘Public Affairs Challenges for Multinational Corporations’, in Steve John and Stuart Thompson, eds, New Activism and the Corporate Response, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.

[24] • Juris, Jeffrey, (2004), ‘Networked Social Movements: Global Movements for Global Justice’, in Manuel Castells, ed, The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham

[25] • Kirkpatrick, David, (2011), The Facebook Effect, Virgin Books, London.

[26] • Mezrich, Ben, (2010), The Accidental Billionaires: Sex, Money, Betrayal and the Founding of Facebook, Arrow, London.

[27] • Palczewski, Catherine Helen, (2001), ‘Cyber-movements, New Social Movements, and Counter publics’, in Robert Asen and Daniel C Brouwer, eds, Counter publics and the State, SUNY Press, Albany.

[28] • Pinter, Andrej, and Tanja Oblak, (2006), ‘Is There a Public Sphere in This Discussion Forum?’, in Katharine Sarikakis and Daya K Thussu, eds, Ideologies of the Internet, Hampton Press, Creskill, NJ.

[29] • Rucht, Dieter, (2004), ‘The Quadruple “A”: Media Strategies of Protest Movements since the 1960s’, in Wim van de Donk et al, eds, Cyber-protest: New Media, Citizens and Social Movements, Routledge, London.

[30] • Sassi, Sinikka, (2001), ‘The Transformation of the Public Sphere?’, in Barrie Axford and Richard Huggins, eds, New Media and Politics, Sage, London.

[31] • Sey, Arabella, and Manuel Castells, (2004), ‘From Media Politics to Networked Politics: The Internet and the Political Process’, in Manuel Castells, ed, The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

[32] • Sparks, Colin, (2001), ‘The Internet and the Global Public Sphere’, in W Lance Bennett and Robert M Entman, eds, Mediated Politics: Communication in the Future of Democracy, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

[33] • Thompson, John B, (1990), Ideology and Modern Culture: Critical Social Theory in the Era of Mass Communication, Polity, Cambridge.

[34] • (1995), The Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media, Polity, Cambridge.

[35] • Van Aelst, Peter and Stefaan Walgrave, (2004), ‘New Media, New Movements?’, in Wim van de Donk et al, eds, Cyber-protest: New Media, Citizens and Social Movements, Routledge, London.

[36] • van den Besselaar, Peter, and Dennis Beckers, (2005), ‘The Life and Death of the Great Amsterdam Digital City’, in Peter van den Besselaar and Satoshi Koizumi, eds, Digital Cities III: Information Technologies for Social Capital – Cross-cultural Perspectives, Springer, Amsterdam.

[37] • Wellman, Barry, (2000), ‘Changing Connectivity: A Future History of Y2.03K’, Sociological Research Online, 4(4). Available at [http://www.socresonline.org. uk/4/4/wellman.html]; accessed on 25.12.07.