The Public Sphere Now

Social relations have become 'virtualised'

Chains or webs of media all talking back and forth to each other (John Hartley)

Dialogic (relationship between the different media forms)

Cross-promotional opportunities.

Voting on mobile phones for TV shows - Interactive response from the audience.

Postmodern Public Sphere


Celebrates fragmentation.

Instead of homogenous, unified whole (Habermas) the postmodern public sphere can be multiple incorporating and overlapping others.

Includes the idea of fictional (popular media) and factual (journalism).

Examples of modern day public sphere. 

Humour to make a political point.

Public v Private now is blurred

If the public sphere is to be open to any discussion that affects the population, there cannot be distinctions between "what is" and "what is not" discussed.

Expanded Public Sphere


Oprah talk show, reality TV shows, talkback radio, Internet.

The media-sphere has legitimated private issues as being worthy of public discussion.

It provides us with a way of 'working through' ideas and issues.

I.e. the Morcombes.

Habermas and the new public Sphere


He believes that mass media and globalisation has reduced the effectiveness of the public sphere.

New-Media; Twitter, Facebook, Plus, Youtube, Ustream.

Strengths and Weaknesses of New-Media

Strengths: Increases debate, Highly accessible, Don't need much resources.

Weaknesses: Encourages anonymity, Most inaccessible to wider audience, poorer quality of debate.

The new public sphere has specific boundaries any social group can participate in the discussions.

The public's opinion is active rather than passive.

What role does news play in the public sphere?

Most news services work hegemonically (culturally dominance) reinforcing ideas about how to understand the world in a certain way. 

Dramas, soaps, comedies, blogs are pluralist (a wider range of choices)