Rethinking the public/virtual sphere: The problem with participation
Citation:
Goldberg, G. (2011). “Rethinking the public/virtual sphere: The problem with participation”. In
New Media & Society, 13 (5), 739–754. London: SAGE Publications.
Work data:
Alternate URL:
http://placeofsocialmedia.com/reading/Goldberg.pdf
Type of work: Article (academic)
Categories:
e-DemocracyAbstract:
Responding to the long-standing interest of new media scholars in online participation as a mechanism for political and cultural democracy and empowerment, this article elaborates a critique of online participation. It examines the ways in which online participation has been economized at a fundamental level – the level at which data is transmitted – and argues that this economization draws into question the viability of a public/virtual sphere paradigm. In the process, it implicates public/virtual sphere scholarship in the production of a mode of power – vital or productive power – which has been under-examined in new media scholarship.
