Public, Private, Social?
Trebor Scholz
Department of Media Study
trebor@thing.net
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0
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Public Sphere?
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The Public Sphere
Jurgen Habermas
\"a network for communicating
information and points of view\"
Ideas eventually
become public opinion
“public sphere” vs. “private sphere”
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The Public Sphere
Public sphere is closely connected with politics
He demands channels of “undistorted communication”
and stresses the importance of emancipatory tools for
participation in the public sphere.
The public sphere describes the part of life in which
one interacts with other people and society at large.
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http://tinyurl.com/399j4z
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The Public Sphere
Jurgen Habermas
Three key features
Participation is open to all
Any issue can be raised for rational debate
All participants considered equal
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Preconditions to participation
1. Technological literacy
2. Time commitment
3. Additional financial resources
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Boulevard
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Time
Significant time investment to create quality online content
Time investment is in reading and keeping up with new
developments
This dissuades many from involvement
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The Decline of Social Capital?
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Social Capital
http://tinyurl.com/34beyt
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Social Capital
Putnam:
Resources available to you based on your network
\"refers to the collective value of all 'social networks' and the
inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for
each other\".
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www.isuma.net/v02n01/putnam/putnam6.gif
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Smaller groups, not large
Active involvement in face to face tertiary
groups is down (e.g., Rotary, etc)
National Rifle Association, AAA
still high as commitment is low
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http://tinyurl.com/2noqpq
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Putnam:
Since end of WWII
In the United States decline in civic participation, religious
participation (church), civic participation, altruism,
reciprocity, workplace (union membership), informal
connections, political participation (voting, running for office)
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Putnam: social capital is a key
component to building and
maintaining democracy.
Social capital is declining in the United States.
Putnam: America is far less connected
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... far less connected?
Oh, really?
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What’s wrong?
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Culture of Parental
“Ubercontrol”
http://tinyurl.com/ywfk5l
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Urban Sprawl
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Culture of Fear
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SNS linked to
obesity
http://tinyurl.com/2vqtgm
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Networked lifestyle, changing
character of work
http://tinyurl.com/29xmtw
http://tinyurl.com/youo87
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Decline of
face to face contact!?
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Reclaim the Streets
http://tinyurl.com/22vm23
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http://tinyurl.com/39ssxq
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Social Networking as
Temporary Patch for Social Ills?
http://tinyurl.com/2egxeg
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The Networked Public Sphere
Yochai Benkler
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http://tinyurl.com/2cehpo
The Commons
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The Networked Public Sphere
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Many theorists have looked for terms that best
describe the changes that followed the introduction
of the Internet. The term “networked public sphere”
speaks to a more expanded notion of the public
sphere, taking into account social life on the World
Wide Web.
http://tinyurl.com/yv8c73
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Yochai Benkler
Emergence of the Networked Public Sphere
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Networked Public Sphere
Cost of becoming a speaker lowered
For authoritarian countries it is harder and more
expensive to maintain control over public spheres
China, Singapore, Vietnam
Cost of sending an email, setting up a web page,
interactions with many people
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Trent Lott
1)Lott story originally posted on talkingpointsmemo.com
2) Slate & the Washington Post
3) Widespread attention gained online.
Basic tools are radically decentralized
“See for yourself” culture
Generative Internet
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(media sharing, video)
(The MySpace for Christians)
(Latino social networking site)
(referral and social networking around music)
(free social networking, cars)
(social networking, online education, e-commerce)
(online identity)
(social networking for professional women, feminist)
(Christian social networking site)
(social networking for soccer players)
(referral site about travel)
(social networking, media sharing, family-focused)
(sharing of all kinds of lists with friends) (blogging, media sharing)
(mobile social networking)
2006
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(social networking site of the National Hockey League)
(social networking for pet aficionados)
(social search)
(social networking and referral grouped around fashion)
(social networking site about mental health and wellness)
(feminist social networking site celebrating friendships among women)
(social networking focused on weddings)
(social networking and referral for the entire family)
2006 (activist, youth social networking)
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(mobile social networking and media sharing)
(social networking around baking)
(social networking about books)
(mobile media sharing)
(mobile social networking, IM)
(social maps)
(micro-blogging)
(social news site) (Game platform)
2007
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Plural Monocultures
split into small fractionalized topical niches
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The Daily We
“The Daily Me, My Friends, and Some Folks I Respect.”
plural monocultures
split into small fractionalized topical niches
\"The connections among people help guide
what the group learns and knows.\"
David Weinberger
http://tinyurl.com/2g975n
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- end -
trebor@thing.net
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