Hidden debates : rethinking the relationship between popular culture and the public sphere

Hermes, Joke (author)

This article proposes that paying attention to popular cultural practice will benefit "cultural citizenship" and, in turn, the vitality of the public sphere. Although popular culture in Habermassian terms does not fully qualify as a lifeworld domain, the enthusiasm of its users is a strong point to its advantage. Otherwise "ordinary people" hardly participate in public life, which foregrounds them as (emotional) witnesses rather than as experts or persons holding a view or an (interesting) opinion. As debate resulting from popular culture use tends to be among fans, neighbours or co-workers and is inpoint of fact "hidden," a further step would be needed to use the underlyingissues and points of view debated in everyday life for public use. Internet communication shows that this is well possible. Indeed, the public-private and the fiction-non fiction boundaries are blurring, and citizenship is practiced in many places. Qualitative audience research could be a key force in reinvigorating the public sphere. By involving audience members themselves and following their cue or by using peer-to-peer formats, it could develop into "civic research" in much the same manner as civic journalism.

• Language: English
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2006
• Number of pages: Str. 27-43
• Numbering: Vol. 13, no. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-75064
• UDC: 316.7:070
• ISSN on article: 1318-3222
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25707357
• Publication date in RUL: 21.12.2015

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

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Skrite razprave: premislek o odnosih med popularno kulturo in javno sfero

Abstract

Članek dokazuje, da bo pozornost, namenjena popularni kutluri, koristila "kulturnemu državljanstvu" in s tem vitalnosti javne sfere. Čeprav popularna kultura v Habermasovi terminologiji ne sodi v celoti v svet življenja, ji gre zavzetost njenih uporabnikov močno v prid. Sicer "navadni ljudje" redko participirajo v javnem življenju, ki jih postavlja v ospredje kot (čustvene) priče, ne pa kot strokovnjake ali ljudi z lastnim pogledom ali mnenjem. Ker razprava, ki izhaja iz uporabe popularne kulture, poteka med navdušenci, sosedi in sodelavci in je dejansko skrita, je potreben dodaten korak, da bi pripeljali probleme in poglede, o katerih poteka debata v vsakdanjem življenju, v javnost. Spletno komuniciranje dokazuje, da je to mogoče. Meje med javnim in zasebnim ter med fiktivnim in nefiktivnim so vse bolj zamegljene in državljanstvo se prakticira na različne načine. Kvalitativno raziskovanje občinstev je lahko ključ za oživljanje javne sfere. Z vključevanjem članov občinstev v raziskovanje bi lahko nastalo "državljansko raziskovanje" v analogiji z "državljanskim novinarstvom".