Public Sphere

The public sphere is that realm of social life where individuals can freely discuss societal questions and thereby shape public opinion. It constitutes an intermediate area between the state and civil society, in its narrowest sense, that is, where social relations are regulated by the market. It encompasses different levels − from a spatial concept that indicates the social sites where social actors exchange meanings, to the philosophical concept of “public use of reason”, which characterizes the essence of enlightenment. The boundary between public and private, together with the relative weight of each in contemporary society, is highly contentious and depends on several economic, political, cultural and technological factors. The recent advent of “virtual space” has raised the question of to what extent the Internet can provide the foundation for a new public sphere.