public, private, & social?

Public, Private, Social?

Trebor ScholzDepartment of Media Studytrebor@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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http://tinyurl.com/34beyt

Social Capital

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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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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)

Since end of WWII

Putnam:

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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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http://tinyurl.com/ywfk5l

Culture of Parental “Ubercontrol”

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Urban Sprawl

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Culture of Fear

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http://tinyurl.com/2vqtgm

SNS linked to obesity

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http://tinyurl.com/29xmtwhttp://tinyurl.com/youo87

Networked lifestyle, changing character of work

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Decline of face to face contact!?

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http://tinyurl.com/22vm23

Reclaim the Streets

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http://tinyurl.com/39ssxq

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http://tinyurl.com/2egxeg

Social Networking as Temporary Patch for Social Ills?

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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/yv8c7335

Emergence of the Networked Public Sphere

Yochai Benkler

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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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(social networking, online education, e-commerce)

(media sharing, video)

(free social networking, cars)

(Christian social networking site)

(online identity)

(social networking for professional women, feminist)

(social networking, media sharing, family-focused) (referral site about travel)

(social networking for soccer players)

(Latino social networking site)

(sharing of all kinds of lists with friends)

(mobile social networking)

(referral and social networking around music)

2006(blogging, media sharing)

(The MySpace for Christians)

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2006

(social networking for pet aficionados) (social networking site of the National Hockey League)

(social search)

(social networking site about mental health and wellness)

(social networking focused on weddings)

(feminist social networking site celebrating friendships among women)

(social networking and referral grouped around fashion)

(activist, youth social networking)

(social networking and referral for the entire family)

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(mobile social networking and media sharing)

(social networking around baking)

(social networking about books)

(mobile social networking, IM)

(social maps)

(Game platform)

(mobile media sharing)

2007

(social news site)

(micro-blogging)

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Plural Monocultures

split into small fractionalized topical niches

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plural monoculturessplit into small fractionalized topical niches

“The Daily Me, My Friends, and Some Folks I Respect.”

"The connections among people help guide what the group learns and knows."

http://tinyurl.com/2g975n

The Daily We

David Weinberger

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