The Public Sphere and Early American Democracy
Source: earlyamericanists.com
Following on from a post I published yesterday in which I discussed the contribution Hive is making to the alternative news landscape, I want to develop this and take a look at how platforms like Hive operate within the context of the public sphere.
Most of us might have an immediate definition in our own minds when I mention the term public sphere. However, it is important to stress that I am talking about a very specific sociological concept known as the 'public sphere', a concept which was espoused by the German philosopher and sociologist Jurgen Habermas. I need to make it clear at this point that even though this man studied at the Frankfurt School in Germany, which is associated with a very leftist Marxist ideology, and even though Habermas embraces critical theory, a theory I reject outright, I am still nonetheless interested in his idea of the public sphere and Habermas's exploration of bourgeois society.
In its simplest form the public sphere focuses on a realm of opinions, particularly ones which focus on society’s needs, where those opinions are openly and fluidly shared between people without any external constraints. It can be a physical, virtual or even imaginary community.
What I am interested in most when it comes to the public sphere is how new digital technologies such as the blockchain and platforms like Hive have profoundly expanded the whole notion of the public sphere into an entirely new dimension. In many ways Hive has created a digital citizenship, this is fascinating. The whole community on Hive is built on a type of democracy where freedom of expression and speech of all kinds is not only permitted but actively encouraged. It flourishes.
For me the public sphere is often at its most powerful when I consider the virtual and non-physical nature of the concept of the public sphere. Television, radio, journalism, blogging, the internet and other digital technologies have all made an impact on the public sphere. Hive takes this digital contribution to a whole new level. The decentralised nature of the platform is a real game changer when it comes to the public sphere.
Public ideals are at the core of the public sphere but this healthy objective is not always shared with news outlets or broadcasters, and so it is very susceptible to subversion and corrosive thinking.
I could go into so much more depth but I realise that this is a blog, and all good blog posts won't generate a thesis accompanied with a wall of text. So I will leave it there fore now and hope that I have at least stimulated some thinking and perhaps even discussion, should you wish to leave a comment.
Peace and Light,
Goldstreet