Two questions as conclusions: we could ask ourselves if there are better clues that globalized Public Sphere and Public Opinion to forecast the new international order that we could see in the future? And …
In the Castells’ article, under the title of Public Sphere and the Constitution of Society, it’s mentioned that according with Habermas the public sphere is ‘a network for communicating information and points of view’ that lies between the state and society. Then, he says that “The public sphere is an essential component of sociopolitical organization because it is the space where people come together as citizens and articulate their autonomous views to influence the political institutions of society. Civil society is the organized expression of these views; and the relationship between the state and civil society is the cornerstone of democracy. Without an effective civil society capable of structuring and channeling citizen debates over diverse ideas and conflicting interests, the state drifts away from its subjects.”
If we consider for a second to the Public Sphere –under the fact of globalization- as the international arena where take place the interactions that give birth to a given Public Opinion about a given fact in a given moment, then we could ask ourselves if the relevance of the state will the same considering that for the Public Sphere and the Public Opinion the borders are less important each day with globalization? And even more, we could ask ourselves if there are better clues that globalized Public Sphere and Public Opinion to forecast the new international order that we could see in the future?
These are good questions to ask ourselves (and to ask our governments!). Today Global movements, causes, and discourse can happen on a greater scale than ever before thanks to easily accessible social media websites and forums. I think that we can see the fallout of the conflict between States and the Public Sphere in cases like Internet Filters in China. Also consider the fallout of France's decision to deport Roma ("Gypsy") camps from their borders. Traditional governmental press releases to the EU don't really work in a diffuse media system like the Internet, where information and news can be diffused and dissected instantly.
ReplyDeleteI think it will just add another layer to our identity. Nation-state are going to stay for a long haul. Yes, it will add to pressure on individual states in regards to issues that are of global concern. For example, the Koyoto treaty and the U.S. government. The public sphere that emerges in this regard, can bring pressure--both national and international--on the U.S. to sign the treaty.
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