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PUBLIC SPHERE AND PUBLIC MEDIA - JURGEN HABARMAS

PUBLIC SPHERE-


The public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action.


Such a discussion is called public debate and is defined as the expression of views or matters that are of concern of the public often but not always, with opposing or diverging views being expressed by participants in the discussion. Public debate takes place mostly through the mass media, but also at meetings or through social media ,academic publications and Government policy documents. 


The term was originally coined by German philosopher "JURGEN HABARMAS" who defined " the public sphere "as a virtual or imaginary community which  does not necessarily exist in any identifiable space. 


The public sphere can be seen as "A Theater " in modern societies in which political participation is enacted through the medium of talk and realm of social life in which public opinion can be formed.


EMERGENCE OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE-


Describing the emergence of the public sphere in the 18th century, jurgen Habasmas noted that the public realm, or SPHERE, originally was related or co-extensive with public authority  while the private sphere comprised civil society in the narrower sense, that is to say, the realm of commodity exchange and of social labor. Whereas the sphere of public authority dealt with the state ,or realm of the police and the ruling class. Or the feudal authorities (church,princes and nobility)the "authentic public sphere ",in a political sense,arose at the time from within the private realm,specially or specifically in connection with literally activities, the world of letters. This new public sphere spanned the public and the private realms,and "through the vehicle of public opinion it put the state in touch with the needs of society. 


The study of public sphere centers on the idea of participatory democracy  and how public opinion becomes political action. 


The ideology of the public sphere theory is that the government's laws and policies should be steered by the public sphere and that the only legitimate governments are those who listen to the public sphere.

Democratic government or governance rests on the capacity of and opportunity for citizens to engage in enlightened debate. Much of the debate over the public sphere involves what is the basic theoretical structure of the public sphere, how information is deliberated in the public sphere,and what influence the public sphere has over society. 



PUBLIC MEDIA


Habarmas argues,that the public sphere requires specific means for transmitting information and influencing those who receive it.


Habarmas's argument shows that the media are of particular importance for constituting and maintaining a public sphere. Discussions about media have therefore been of particular importance in public sphere theory. 


According to Habarmas,there are two types of actors without whom no political public sphere could be put to develop for social work. Professionals in the media system and politicians. For Habarmas, there r five types of actors who make their appearance on the virtual stage of an established public sphere. 


FOUR COMPONENTS OF PUBLIC SPHERE-


A. News media

B. Conversation 

C. Public opinion formation

D. Participation 


ROLE OF PUBLIC SPHERE-


A. Newspaper fuel Conversation 

B. Conversation shapes opinion 

C. Opinion triggers action







                            



                                                                                                    - Suchismita Das

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