The Web as The New Public Sphere?

The public sphere is a concept defined by Jürgen Habermas as “a virtual or imaginary community which does not necessarily exist in any identifiable space” (Soules), where private people use dialogue and assembly to create opinions and attitudes. The public sphere, which does not exist as a tangible concept, still pressures the formation and direction of democracy. The Internet provides an avenue for realization of the public sphere, according to Poor, by creating virtual spaces and communities in which public opinion and attitude can be formed using the same mechanism described by Habermas.

I believe that there is evidence that the Web provides a means of creation of a public sphere as described by Poor. Habermas’ definition of the public sphere includes universal access, autonomy, rejection of hierarchy, the rule of law, and quality of participation (Soules). These characteristics can be identified within Internet communities that are focused on public opinion and formation of dialogue and attitudes. For example, the access to the Web is nearly universal now (although older and very poor users may still be excluded), there is no clear means of enforcing hierarchy, and there is a high degree of autonomy.

One way the Web serves as a public sphere is providing a voice for political protest and formation of public opinion. One way this can be done is through the use of YouTube to distribute information and viewpoints. An example of this is the MoveOn.org YouTube video playlist, which brings together videos that support anti-war policies and drive public opinion about the political and military operations in Iraq as well as in other areas. For example, the “Betrayal of trust” series describes ways in which politicians have failed to protect the public interest,


http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F830FD92F13887B3&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=bwoORln51NI

a clear indication of the creation of a public sphere within the Internet.

Works Cited

Moveon.org. Moveon.org video playlist. 23 March 2009. 23 March 2009
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F830FD92F13887B3&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=bwoORln51NI.

Poor, Nathaniel. "Mechanisms of an online public sphere: The website Slashdot." Journal of
Computer-Mediated Communication 10.2 (2005): Article 4. <>

Soules, Marshall. Jürgen Habermas and the Public Sphere. 2007. 23 March 2009 .