The public sphere is a social space in which different opinions are expressed, problems of general concern are discussed, and collective solutions are developed. Ultimately, leading to people debating and discussing ideas and the news of the day.

Traditionally the public sphere was the idea of people coming together at a public place and speaking one on one, to debate and deliberate issues. This was Jurgen Habermas’ comprehensive idea and what he defined as ‘the public sphere’. However, due to the growth of technology and social media would imply the modern reincarnation of the public sphere with a network that would deliver unrestricted and unregulated discussion beyond local limits. Thus,

The creation of the ‘public sphere 2.0’.

Today the public sphere is heavily mediated, meaning the media often provoke debates about issues and people use the media to debate these issues as it is a space where voices can be expressed due to the low barrier of entry. Though creating concern as the lines between professional media coverage and general citizen coverage have been blurred.

My public sphere would ultimately be described as my close circle of friends, my family and my social media accounts. My mediated public sphere would function much the same as anyone else’s – I would obtain my information from my social media accounts and tv programmes to learn about the issues and current situations that are occurring around me. This allows me to dispute current situations and ideas with my friends and family, conclusively leading to personal opinions.

Issues that would arise in my public sphere would consist from current situations such as the Coronavirus pandemic to the latest tik tok trend – we’re so diverse lol – which in summary helps create a variety of opinions to be expressed about differing ideas/ topics. In the book, ‘Habermas and the Public sphere’ discusses the concept of who was included in Habermas’s idea of the public sphere. “The early bourgeois (middle – class) public sphere was composed of a narrow segment of the European population, mainly educated, propertied men, And they conducted a discourse not only exclusive of others but prejudicial to the interests of those excluded.” – which was basically anyone who wasn’t a white, wealthy male.

Social media provides new opportunities for political participation as the mediated public sphere has been enhanced by the emergence of different publics and different spaces. The Internet impacts today’s public sphere in many ways, as a result of social media being recognised as a virtual public sphere where people can come to discuss the issues of the day even if they’re not in the same physical place. However, social media has perhaps a lack of seriousness in political communication, producing a typical warning around the risks of accessing unreliable sources and data.

Calhoun, C., 1999. Habermas And The Public Sphere. [ebook] Massachusetts. Available at: <https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5F8qjMkoxZ0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=habermas+and+the+public+sphere&ots=muFoKTRQfd&sig=HhtHk4cnEyt4VR1LIZeo7rA-OC0#v=onepage&q=habermas%20and%20the%20public%20sphere&f=false&gt; [Accessed 20 April 2020].