Definition:
In rhetoric, the place where citizens exchange ideas, information, attitudes, and opinions.
Examples and Observations:
- "The public sphere is . . . a metaphorical term used to describe the virtual space where people can interact. . . . The World Wide Web, for example, is not actually a web; cyberspace is not a space; and so with the public sphere. It's the virtual space where the citizens of a country exchange ideas and discuss issues, in order to reach agreement about 'matters of general interest' ([Jurgen] Habermas, 1997: 105). . . .
"The public sphere is . . . a metaphor which keeps us focused on the distinction between individual, personal forms of representation--over which we have a large degree of control--and shared, consensual representations--which are never exactly what we would like to see precisely because they are shared (public). It's a liberal model which sees the individual human being as having an important input into the formation of the general will--as opposed to totalitarian or Marxist models, which see the state as ultimately powerful in deciding what people think."
(Alan McKee, The Public Sphere: An Introduction. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005) - "Blogging reverses a trend that had become increasingly worrying in an era dominated by mass media, namely the erosion of what the cultural critic Jurgen Habermas called 'the public sphere'--an area where citizens gather to generate opinions and attitudes that affirm or challenge the actions of the state. Mass media offered the illusion of diversity while narrowing the range of real choices available--the '600 channels and nothing on' syndrome. Blogging has revived--and begun to expand--the public sphere, and in the process may revitalise our democracies."
(John Naughton, "Why Everyone's Invited to the Tenth Birthday Bash for Blogger." The Observer, Sep. 13, 2009)
