StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Habermas the Public Sphere - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Habermas the Public Sphere Name: Institution: The public sphere is a social area where people get together and discuss problems that affect them in their society. In other words, it is a site where public opinion is formed. These discussions are usually meant to influence or stir political action to address the problems…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.4% of users find it useful
Habermas the Public Sphere
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Habermas the Public Sphere"

Download file to see previous pages

1-13). According to many political theorists, the public sphere is an important entity for a strong democracy. The public and the private spheres acquired a clear distinction in the 17th and 18th century. The public sphere usually consists of informal citizen discussions and deliberations that lead to the formation of a public opinion which is rational enough to guide and influence political systems. Habermas has given a complete outline of the public sphere in The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. (1989). This piece of work outlines the public sphere critical theory in a systematically developed manner (Dahlgren, 1995, p. 44). The public sphere thus develops from the realms of public authority as well as private relations.

The private relations may involve the family and the civil society at large. The private individuals, therefore, come together to form the public sphere. They are driven by the notion of speech without censorship as well as the desire for unified reasoning. According to Habermas, therefore, the public sphere involves both historical economic and political concerns. He continues to explain that every communication contains a communicative action which is oriented towards an agreement. Whenever a matter concerning living together as a people with differences is debated, the public sphere is always constituted.

The public sphere became more of a commercial and entertainment entity rather than its conserving its political character. The shift from the original character to other commercialized versions is documented in the press. Habermas, therefore, looks at the integration of literature and journalism as well as the role played by mass media. The public sphere was also affected by the emergence of mass media. The apparent evolution of the communications environment has made the public sphere to change to a platform for advertisements.

As a result of these, there emerges a new class of participants such as public relations practitioners (Thompson, 1993, p. 67). Democracy, according to Habermas, is founded on the world of life. It is this world of life that enables free communication between different people. It also drives people into pursuing private and individual interests as opposed to common goals in life. The media plays a crucial role in any democracy. This comes easier, of course, if the environment is right. Such an environment is one which consists of the requisite skills that enable democratic reporting.

The media is most of the time flooded with advertisements that target some individual tastes. The information that is presented is also based on the pre-existing views. There should, therefore, be mechanisms which check for public accountability as well as professionalism in media operations. One of the characteristics that identify a democracy is the independence of the media. This is strengthened by the financial viability of the media organizations. Financial strength ensures that the media operates in an environment free of external influences, especially political influences (Hallin, 1994, p.12). The media is also an essential for checking the political system when that system is unable to meet the social expectations.

The media is, however, not expected to entertain political bias or partisan reporting at all. Accessibility of the media

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Habermas the Public Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/journalism-communication/1451655-habermas-the-public-sphere
(Habermas the Public Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/journalism-communication/1451655-habermas-the-public-sphere.
“Habermas the Public Sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/journalism-communication/1451655-habermas-the-public-sphere.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Habermas the Public Sphere

Internet in Terms of the Concept of Public Sphere

The use of the Internet also removes geographic barriers within the public sphere.... In general, the public sphere is referring to a medium where people can freely observe and communicate a wide-range of social issues as well as political and economic concerns (Gerhards and Schafer, 2009).... Internet in Terms of the Concept of public sphere Total Number of Words: 6,006 Executive Summary This study aims to analyse the significance of using the Internet in public sphere....
19 Pages (4750 words) Research Paper

Media, Citizenship, Public Opinion and Spin

This is due to the public opinion.... the public opinion can be considered as the collective opinion of the people of a community or a majority opinion of the people of a political community.... Mass media is capable of creating, building and influencing the public opinion.... Polling companies, surveying companies analyzed the public on a variety of important issues.... Each media will have its own type of influence on public....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Habermas Theory of Public Sphere

'The Structural Transformation of the public sphere' was written in 1962 by Jrgen Habermas and is one of his most influential works.... With the rise of capitalism and the social welfare state, big companies took over the public sphere and people turned into merely consumers of gods.... From a sociological point of view, this change meant the transition from the totalitarian state to the liberal model of the bourgeois society; in other words, it meant the progressive emergence of a participatory public sphere, separated either from the private realm and the state....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review

Is there a public sphere online

The outstanding German philosopher and sociologist Jürgen Habermas (born 1929) is most well known for his concepts of the public sphere and communicative action.... Few concepts that emerged in the second half of 20th century have been become so influential in the science of… Habermas' explorations of the public sphere and his repeated attempts to identify the features that characterise a genuine democracy represent a central theme of his continuous work. The ntensive discussion about the role of the Internet in Habermas' schema of the public sphere was launched in the early 1990s and continues up to now....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

The Structural Formation of the Public Sphere

This essay describes book The Structural Formation of the public sphere by Jurgen Habermas.... According to Habermas, the public sphere should be revived so that publicity will not be used as an instrument of manipulation and deceit.... This public sphere will be the melting pot of different ideas and intellect from the citizens.... Participatory democracy through the independent public sphere could be successful if it is carried out with rationality....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Habermas Public Sphere-Market Forces and the Decline of the Public Sphere

This report "Habermas' Public Sphere-Market Forces and the Decline of the public sphere" presents the concept of the public sphere that has undergone changes.... With the influence of journalism and the media, the public sphere has changed significantly since the establishment of the concept by Habermas.... XIV), Habermas' concept of 'public sphere' relates to the social life of humans and how well they adjust in society.... The 'public sphere' is one that explains that persons and groupings in the society have a right to assemble and deliberate issues that impact them in the course of their livelihood....
8 Pages (2000 words) Report

Talk Shows - Contribution to the Public Sphere

This paper "Talk Shows - Contribution to the public sphere" explores the contribution of talk shows to political culture by encouraging or discouraging audience and citizen participation, and the role talk shows play in influencing the relationship between audiences, citizens, and social leaders.... n realizing this objective, the paper engages in a comparative analysis of the public sphere and its relevant participants in Albania and Lithuania.... An analysis of Albania will offer insight into the new media age and the impact of new media genres like talk shows on the public sphere and citizen participation....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

The Impact of a Documentary Film on Social Democracy and the Public Sphere

They play a main role in the formation of 'public opinion' that could even influence the government by operating as a public sphere.... The press constituted a public sphere in which an open political debate could take place.... The mass media in many countries is expected to facilitate pluralist debate and the free formation of public opinion in the terms of Jurgan Habermas - ‘public sphere'.... … Discuss the impact of documentary film on social democracy and the public sphereMass Media:Generally, the mass media is explained to possess three key functions – that is of educating about public relations, shaping them, and advocating for a Discuss the impact of documentary film on social democracy and the public sphereMass Media:Generally, the mass media is explained to possess three key functions – that is of educating about public relations, shaping them, and advocating for a particular policy or point of view....
16 Pages (4000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us