Tondeur et al (2010) consider a semantic extension of Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘cultural capital’ to incorporate the expanding digital age, and the importance of ICT in modern western society. Bourdieu alludes to cultural capital being synonymous with participation in activities such as ‘literature, theatre, concerts and museum visits’ (1996 In: Tondeur et al 2010: 153). This theory is conducive with the original public sphere. However, the initial conception of the public sphere was elitist and exclusionary and marginalised the proletariat classes as well as women, consequently was not representative of society as a whole. But, in the technological does the Internet provide a glaring opportunity for a revised public sphere? Papacharissi notes, ‘the internet, with an infrastructure that promises unlimited and unregulated discourse that operates beyond geographic boundaries, would suggest a virtual reincarnation of the public sphere’ (2008). However, this ideal could be very problematic.
To be able to establish the feasibility of a ‘digital public sphere’ we must consider whether all of society can be equally represented within such a realm. First then, we must consider the accessibility of the internet and whether or not it is exclusionary or incorporative of all walks of society. The study by Tondeur et al looks to the youth to discover their access and competency with regards to ICT. Bourdieu sees social backgrounds as fractious, stating that ‘individuals enter the educational system with different levels of cultural capital and cultural know-how based on their social backgrounds’ (1986: 243 In: Tondeur et al 2010: 154). When applied to ICT competency this disparity appears to have been bridged. Firstly ‘no relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and computer ownership was found’, furthermore ‘ICT competencies are not sufficiently marked to deduce that SES contributes to fewer ICT competencies’ (Tondeur et al 2010: 161). If the SES of an individual is no longer hindering their cultural capital of ICT could we not consider a digital public sphere as a future possibility for this and successive generations?
We must also though, consider people’s uses and gratifications of the internet, before we can see it as an opportunity for a democratic public sphere. Online time, for the vast majority is not spent on politically orientated activities. The internet has become a hub for entertainment and shopping. For a digital public sphere to be viable the information people access would have change alongside their online habits.
Because the global penetration rate of the internet is very low, the idea of a global public sphere is implausible, however, we could consider more localised, individual spheres attached to a solitary polity. However this would still largely rely upon each an individual being computer literate enough to participate and although most western government impetus on households getting online is vast, it is indeterminate. In addition to this, a representative demographic willing to partake is necessary; unfortunately it can be said that ‘greater access to information, enabled by online public sphere and Beyond 9 media, does not directly lead to increases in political participation’ (Papacharissi 2008). Currently, most political discourse on the internet is one directional and allows little public interactivity. If this level of interactivity and ‘a realm of our social life, in which something approaching public opinion can be formed’ (Habermas 1974 In: Papacharissi 2008) a digital public sphere would be viable. However, it seems like a relative impossibility to make every individual computer literate, (warranting them an equal, democratic opportunity to partake if they so choose) and to change social habits sufficiently enough for mass, representative participation. Furthermore, we cannot say for certain that if hypothetically there was an online public sphere, that it would ever fully be reflected in society.
Reference List
Papacharissi, Z. (2008) The Virtual Sphere 2.0: The Internet, the Public Sphere and beyond. Available from: http://s3.amazonaws.com/files.posterous.com/mediaspheres/2BCWTIX9N0xR9nvPUxxg0U6thyRPjPUOqwnr3JrKmdzAX0QZr9qxyM7wEGTP/Papacharissi-The-Virtual-Spher.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJFZAE65UYRT34AOQ&Expires=1330437136&Signature=2R6UFR6FV93E1OjkuAK%2F8CvKhac%3D. [Accessed: 28/1/2012].
Tondeur, J., Sinnaeve, I., Van Houtte, M. & Van Braak, J.. (2011) ‘ICT as Cultural Capital: The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and the Computer-use Profile of Young People’. New Media & Society. Vol.13 (Issue 1), Pp. 151-164.
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