Jürgen Habermas was concerned with how public opinion shapes political power and policy in democracies. He defined the public sphere as a virtual community where private citizens assemble and generate opinions to affirm or challenge state affairs. However, Habermas argued that the public sphere has been degraded by mass media that manipulate public opinion for commercial and political interests rather than engage in rational critical discourse. Propaganda and advertising techniques infiltrate people's lives and shape them to suit power systems, threatening the ideal public sphere.