Habermas and the Public Sphere

Habermas, the public Sphere, & the internet : 

Habermas, the public Sphere, & the internet A critical analysis of the theory and its application in a post-industrial, mass capitalist democracy

Jurgen Habermas : 

Jurgen Habermas Born June 18, 1929 in Dusseldorf, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany He is the son of Ernst Habermas, a former executive director of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce Habermas was a Hitler Youth and his father supported Nazism Habermas is a philosopher and sociologist His work focuses on social theory, epistemology (the study of the origins of human knowledge), analysis of capitalist society as well as democracy and law in social contexts, and contemporary politics Habermas’ ideas are rooted in the tradition of German thought with influences such as Kant and Marx His experiences during World War II influenced his reasoning regarding communication, legal issues, and rationality about life He has been associated with the Frankfurt School of political theorists He supports the concepts of “modernity/postmodernism;” however, he still believes that it is a developing process

Education : 

Education Attended Institute for Social Research at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main where he studied philosophy and sociology and the University of Marburg where he studied political science He received a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Bonn after completing his dissertation on the absolute and history of Schelling’s thought in 1950

The Public Sphere : 

The Public Sphere Habermas wrote extensively on the concept of the public sphere, using accounts of dialogue that took place in coffee houses in 18th century England Habermas developed the normative notion of the public sphere as a part of social life where citizens can exchange views on matters of importance to the common good, so that public opinion can be formed. Following the formation of public opinion, the public will then incite political action Habermas further showed how the public sphere was cultivated through media and how the public was able to influence politics and society Habermas emphasizes the critical role of the media in the public sphere, distinguishing between the early press who highlighted political controversy and the more recent development of media that commodify the news

The Weakening of the Public Sphere : 

The Weakening of the Public Sphere Habermas believed the commodification of news and other media has led to the weakening of the public sphere He argues, “in post-industrial, capitalist mass democracy the public and private domains interlock leading to a refeudalization of the public sphere in which societal powers take over political functions.” (Habermas 97) Habermas, hence, would argue that new media has begun to diminish the public sphere

So where does the Internet come in? : 

So where does the Internet come in? Habermas’ theory was written in the context of the pre-digital era; hence, the theory excludes the internet as a medium and its application in an industrially advanced society I believe the advent of the internet may be the industrially advanced solution to the weakening of the public sphere

Mark Poster, the Public Sphere, and the Internet : 

Mark Poster, the Public Sphere, and the Internet Regarding Habermas’ theory, Mark Poster argues, “the age of the public sphere as face-to-face talk is clearly over: the question of democracy must henceforth take into account new forms of electronically mediated discourse.” (Poster 265) These new electronic forms of discourse include sites such as YouTube and Blogger, interactive sites that incite discussion

Poster Cont’d : 

Poster Cont’d Poster further asserts, “For Habermas the public sphere is a homogenous space of embodied subjects in symmetrical relations, pursuing consensus through the critique of arguments and the presentation of validity claims. This model, I contend, is systematically denied in the arenas of electronic politics. We are advised then to abandon Habermas’ concept of the public sphere in assessing the internet as a political domain.” (Poster 265)

The Power of the Blog : 

The Power of the Blog From Posters argument, one can now look to the blog and its power to incite public debate and political action Bloggers Unite to Fight Robert Reich’s Economic Blog on Blogger.com YouTube’s “News and Politics” Channel

Bloggers Unite to Fight : 

Bloggers Unite to Fight An article posted by the BBC The article discusses the arrest of an Iranian blogger, Sina Motallebi, who wrote a blog defending a political cartoon that had run in an Iranian newspaper that offended the government A petition appearing on a multitude of blogs has gone worldwide with almost 3,000 petitioners who have signed ONLINE asking for Motallebi’s arrest This online petition exemplifies perfectly the power of the blog and the utility of the internet in inciting political action

Preliminary Conclusions : 

Preliminary Conclusions Arguments have been made as such, “The nature of the system fosters the development of an A-list of bloggers, and controls what stories are likely to propagate through the system.” (Baoill) This is an argument in support of Habermas’ theory that the public sphere is weakening. I firmly believe, the internet is the new realm of public discussion. Despite the loss of face-to-face contact, the internet has strengthened the public sphere and has created a new arena for debate in which all are equal. All participants’ voices can be heard. The completely democratic principles of the internet allow more perspective. Yes, there are “A-list bloggers,” however, their existence does not negate the existence of those bloggers who have not made it to the top. These bloggers still have voices and their voices are accessible worldwide to internet users. Furthermore, it should be noted that public debate has always been a stratified activity. Whether it be in 18th century England, where educated men were the sole partakers, or 21st century America. The disregard of rank has never functionally occurred in society. Though the internet still has mild hints of hierarchy, for the most part the issue of rank has been diminished.

Finally : 

Finally The internet may be another commodified medium; however, its sheer existence has been the source of an immeasurable amount of public debate and discussion. It surely is a strengthening factor for the public sphere.

What do you think? : 

What do you think?

Works Cited : 

Works Cited Baoill, Andrew. “Weblogs and the Public Sphere.” Into the Blogosphere. Online. <http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/weblogs_and_the_public_sphere.html>. Habermas, Jurgen. “The Public Sphere.” Media Studies: A Reader. Ed. Paul Marris & Sue Thornham. Pp 92-97. Poster, Mark. “Cyberdemocracy: The internet and the public sphere.” Reading Digital Culture. Ed. David Trend. Pp 259-69.