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Public communication becomes possible when individuals enter the public sphere to deliver messages to other people or groups. In its turn, a public sphere is a social place where citizens gather and express their views on political, social, and economic matters (Crossley and Roberts, 2004). The concept of the public sphere that evolved during the last couple of centuries has been discussed by many theorists. It is not the same as it was under the proto-democratic structure of society in ancient Greece (Robertson and Carroll, 2018). With the advent of technology and social media, the space for public communication extended and became more complex.
Habermas, a famous representative of the Frankfurt School, developed the notion of the public sphere and explained how it transforms. According to him, the late 17th century marked a more active engagement of citizens in discussions/debates over common issues in special public places. He believes that the early middle-class public sphere was a form of rational discussion and debate between the state, bourgeois businessman, and citoyen (Kellner, 2014, p. 20). It emerged to mediate contradictions between classes and to reach societal consensus by reducing the focus on privacy concerns in favor of public affairs. Related civil activities such as debates made it possible for individuals and groups to express their concerns and shape public opinion. The latter opposed the state, and its power and influenced its decision-making. Thus, the bourgeois public sphere was based on democracy, constitutional order, and its main principles, including the judicial system, political rights, freedom of press, speech, and assembly. It seems that Habermas slightly idealized the liberal democracy of the 19th century.
The public sphere is somewhere between the government and its people; thus, it is crucial for democratic order. Public deliberation regarding the states actions and common social issues tend to promote public interests and affect the policy and decision-making of authorities (Sommerfeldt, 2013). Earlier public communication mainly took place in physical spaces like parliament, discussion forum, or conferences and within a network of institutions. The latter includes the democratic press, publishing enterprises, and civil society organizations.
Habermas states that the public sphere structurally transformed from the space of free and rational debate to a place where the economic and political elite manipulates public discourse. Such powers as capitalistic economy and media that contributed to the establishment of the liberal democracy started to threaten its existence in the previous century (Kellner, 2014). The consumeristic drive resulted in the domination of mass media manipulated by powerful corporations and the more fundamental role of the state. As a result, the public sphere shrunk, and citizens became less active in democratic participation.
Nevertheless, social media had revitalized public communication for a while. Those civic spaces isolated earlier now have global public discourse via social media platforms (Robertson and Carroll, 2018). The main idea is that all classes may participate in public communication and affect the states decision-making through social media. In other words, with the advent of media platforms where people from all over the world can freely share and discuss any information, the public sphere has become less physical. A part of public affairs moved to virtual spaces and engaged more people in discussions and civic activities such as volunteering. However, issues like hyper-targeted media, the spread of fake news, surveillance, and excessive advertisement contribute to the transformation coined by Habermas. For instance, during the 2016 US presidential campaign, Cambridge Analytica disclosed and misused the personal data of Facebook users (Robertson and Carroll, 2018). This analytical assistance helped Donald Trump to hold the best political digital ad campaign ever and win the elections.
To conclude, public communication occurs in the public sphere, a social place where individuals or groups can promote their interests and discuss common social issues with others. Its main task, as the mediator between citizens and state, is to preserve democratic order. The public sphere has evolved from a physical place for discussion like central well to virtual spaces such as comment sections on Facebook. Public communication became both more accessible and complex at the same time.
Reference List
Crossley, N. and Roberts, J. M. (2004) After Habermas: new perspectives on the public sphere. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Kellner, D. (2014) Habermas, the public sphere, and democracy, in Boros, D. and Glass, J. M. (eds.) Re-imagining public space: The Frankfurt school in the 21st century. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Robertson S. P. and Carroll J. M. (2018) Social media and civic engagement: History, theory, and practice. San Rafael: Morgan and Claypool Publishers.
Sommerfeldt, E. J. (2013) The civility of social capital: Public relations in the public sphere, civil society, and democracy, Public Relations Review, 39(4), pp. 280-289.
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