To what extent, do you think, social media can be considered as the public sphere of contemporary times?

M. Zaher Dowran

19913212

Habermas defined the public sphere as the sphere in which private people come together as a public. In the public sphere, it is possible to openly discuss matters of public concern.

In the public sphere, individuals in a free state, away from coercion, discuss the general matter and evaluate each other's views, thereby maximizing the possibility of reaching a real collective agreement. As the dialogue and the reached agreements are not based on leading forces such as "power, money and propaganda", it creates a "different policy" from the usual perceptions. The public sphere is one of the key concepts used and explained by Jurgen Habermas. According to him, the public sphere is an arena where people come together to participate in open and public discussions. Habermas argues that the public sphere emerges when individuals think in groups about their public needs. He uses the term public sphere to refer to the social sphere in which individuals, through reasoning and communicating adopt normative positions and orientations that have a conscious and rationalizing effect on the process of exercising state power.

Habermas argues that citizens and private individuals act as the public when they can address issues of public interest without coercion and compulsion and this is possible when the necessary guarantees are provided for their gathering, and they feel express and propagate their thoughts.

There are some ideal dimensions of the public sphere according to Habermas:

-         There is a guarantee that every citizen will be able to access the public sphere on an equal footing with others, regardless of status.

-         Every citizen is free to say whatever he or she deems appropriate. There are no barriers to talking about issues. Of course, the issues raised must be related to the public interest, otherwise, it will automatically withdraw from the public sphere.

-         There is no place for exercising power by force and authority (government and other types) and money.

-         As there is no place for money, inequality and force, reasoning becomes important and superior reasoning is always accepted.

Nowadays both news organizations and journalists and audiences are increasingly using the internet and social media for different aims, including news. Printed newspapers have their own websites and a wide range of international TV broadcasts are available in social media platforms as well. The public uses social media to share and discuss their appropriate deemed thoughts.  Social media have also been described as a new public sphere where people can equally get access to information and participate in the creation, distribution and discussion of content. However, whether social media can be a public sphere?

To get a clear answer to whether social networks can form a public sphere or not? The criteria of the public sphere and the conditions of social platforms should be analyzed. For instance, the first unique feature of the public sphere is its accessibility to everyone. Although the use of social networks is not limited to a specific class, everyone with access to the Internet and electronic devices can benefit it. But, does everyone's accessibility to the Internet and technology the same? It may not a matter of concern for advanced countries, but residents of backward countries are deprived of Internet services. However, the Internet is available to some extent, a wide range of people cannot afford to use it due to financial shortages. Here in the first encounter, it questions the formation of the public sphere on social media.

In the second step, the public sphere is characterized by everyone's right to expressing and commenting at the same chance. In cyberspace, however, everyone has the right to unleash their thoughts, but not on an equal footing. Users are being affected by social media's rule. The platform is under the control of a manager and a privileged owner. In many cases, we have been witnessed the closure of social accounts with millions of followers. That is, their point of view has been ignored. Somehow the government is also involved in controlling social media platforms with the authority of banning its use whenever it prefers.

The third characteristic of the public sphere is the deficiency of using force, including government power and capital. The boosting feature of social platforms violates the core terms of this trait. Those who spend more capital can gain more points on social media.

In the public sphere, people are able to discuss the general issues and evaluate each other's views far from coercion and impositions. On the contrary, social platforms somehow impose restrictions and coercion.

Finally, it can be said that social media undoubtedly perform lots of functions of the public sphere. Social media do widen participation possibility for discussion and the possibility for the contribution of ordinary people. It can perform as public space to gather people together to express their opinions towards political and social issues. The contribution of ordinary people is available and social media widen participation and possibilities for discussions and interactions. To some extend social media can be seen as a new form of a public sphere. Habermas points out that "The public sphere is an area that all citizens have access to it and they have freedom of assembly, association, and freedom of expression and publication of opinions".

As it may not be ignored that the Internet and social media have made a great contribution to democratization but, on the other hand, the dominance and influence of big corporations and opinion leaders still remain in place in the social media.