Proof that the global public square exists: Fareed Zakaria's show on CNN is called Global Public Square. Blog post done.
Kidding. Mostly. I think the name of Zakaria's show is apt. While we explored the challenges of the media as regards to the celebrity diplomats, and a few classmates got really into the media on the chat box, we didn't talk about the role of the media in creating a global public sphere. If the public sphere used to be the neighborhood chit chat, the media is a place where people gather to learn and talk on a global level. GPS is broadcast all over the world. BBC has a massive reach and some BBC commentators are household names (I'm a BBC World Service fanatic). Along with the internet and social media, I think that more formal media channels are where we can find global connectivity and a global public space.
And yet, as this election has shown us, in some place we don't see media casting a wide net, but people self selecting a narrower media with which to engage. This certainly challenges the ways the media can create a global public square in some respects. But, in other respects, it may connect issues oriented people across the world. For instance, many people I would never connect with are sharing and interacting with the same catchy Al-Jazeera videos about the Syrian crisis that I'm watching and sharing. We're all interested in the Middle East and heart broken by the human toll of the crisis. Al Jazeera caters these videos directly to people like me, and to people in Lebanon, Germany, Bolivia, who are also like me. There is a global public sphere there that is different and new.
My two (still developing cents) about the GPS and how the media can enable/inhibit that.
(A) I love the graphic -- i need to get one of these :)
ReplyDelete(B) Is media (social and otherwise) enough to create a global public sphere that is anything from as fragmented (albeit in different ways) than current state-based public spheres? you mentioned how there are wide ranges of people interacting with you about Syria, however how is this functionally different from the communities of old, other than the location and medium that people communicate over? Are these not still segmented portions of society reacting to niche issues?