The rise of contractual publics : conceptual crisis and the tech-driven siege of the public sphere

Splichal, Slavko (author)

The paper examines modern re-conceptualisations and re-contextualisations of publicness, proposing theoretical and empirical advancements in its conceptualisation. It critically analyses two significant developments following the English translation of Habermas’s seminal work, “Strukturwandel der Öffentlichkeit.” On the one hand, the book (re)affirmed the key role of communication and media in democratic politics and instigated a broad acceptance of the public sphere as a fundamental concept in academic discourse, leading to renewed research efforts and innovative developments. However, the subsequent conceptual fragmentation of (the concept of) the public sphere raised concerns about the loss of its original critical epistemic value. On the other hand, Habermas’s book obscured important sociological traditions, contributing to a divide between normative theory and sociological analysis, exemplified by a neglect of the habitual roots of public opinion and contractual bonds in the evolution of publics. These aspects gain relevance within the context of the platform economy and artificial intelligence governing internet communication. The paper concludes by introducing the concept of the contractual public, which draws on the evolving dynamics between public and private spheres, and proposing four strategies to revitalise publicness.

• Language: English
• Keywords: publicness, public sphere, counterpublic, contractual public, communification, opportunity algorithms
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 1-25
• Numbering: Vol. 31, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-155479
• UDC: 659.3/.4
• ISSN on article: 1318-3222
• DOI: 10.1080/13183222.2024.2318692
• COBISS.SI-ID: 191361539
• Publication date in RUL: 04.04.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Javnost = The public
• Shortened title: Javnost
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis, European Institute for Communication and Culture
• ISSN: 1318-3222
• COBISS.SI-ID: 40119808

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: javnost

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0051
• Name: Množični mediji, javna sfera in družbene spremembe