If the public sphere is a area in
social life where individuals can come together to freely and openly discuss
and identify social problems and with this discussion potentially influence
political action (Habeas, 1991:2), then how does it differ from the
blogosphere? According to Lim, 2013 the blogosphere is a vehicle for worldwide
interaction, and this ‘storm’ of blogs and social networking is perceived as an
enabling instrument for many people (Lim, 2013:127).
A person with these means (social
networks) can have access to discussion on an international scale, becoming
more interconnected with people the world over boundaries and borders are
blurred. Sounds great right, you can have your voice heard over millions of
others you can shout out your beliefs and feel empowered.
This is a great tool and it could
be you if you are part of a nation or country that is well developed has a
strong economy and a healthy successful population, but what if you are not
part of something like this?
Almost half of the world, that is
over 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day, 1.1 billion people living
in developing countries have inadequate access to water and 1.6 billion people
live without electricity (Shah, 2013).
I know these examples are
opposite ends of the spectrum and may seem extreme but for many people in fact
half the world’s population this is a reality. They have no access to the
Internet let alone social networks, so in this case how do we here their voices?
Should the public sphere and the blogosphere remain two separate entities? One
allows access to public discussion on a physical level and the other on a
virtual and if they were to work parallel each other than it would allow for a
more fair and impartial public discussion whether face-to-face or through a
keyboard.
- Habermas, J, 1991, The structural transformation of the public sphere, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, p.p 1 – 299 http://pages.uoregon.edu/koopman/courses_readings/phil123-net/publicness/habermas_structural_trans_pub_sphere.pdf
- Lim, M, 2012, Life is local in the imagines global community: Islam and politics in the Indonesian bogosphere, Journal of Media and Religion, p.p 127 -140
- Shah, A, 2011. “Poverty Around The World.” Global Issues. 12 Nov.<http://www.globalissues.org/article/4/poverty-around-the-world>, viewed 20/8
- http://www.instantshift.com/media/uploads/2012/06/science-of-networking.jpg (Network Image)
- http://pigeonproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Poverty-in-India.jpg (India Image)
Hey Jules,
ReplyDeleteThanks for a good read. I particularly like the point that you made regarding everyday access to the web in countries with a strong, healthy economy as opposed to online access in those countries who barely have enough food and water to survive. When I travel, I am constantly reminded that we are lucky to be living in such a healthy country such as Australia. To most of us, internet access has become the norm, as has the blogging world. We can share our opinions freely and have our voices heard. The world is increasingly becoming more interconnected everyday. Hopefully over time this global interconnectivity can be used more soundly to close the gap between the wealthy and third world.
Jules,
ReplyDeleteReally engaging piece, firstly in how you explained the blogosphere so well with the sources, really well phrased and referenced. Secondly the layout you used was really fantastic and inviting to read, however more hyperlinks would put the polish on this piece.
Thirdly I really loved it how you acknowledged that we aren't truly spherical in equality when it comes to people's voices being heard. It often is not acknowledged when considering this topic and I commend you for drawing upon it as an example on the opposite end of the spectrum.