ICTs, Public Sphere, and Deliberative Democracy

Abstract

This paper attempts to look at the transformation of the public sphere in sync with the changes in the Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) mediums like mass media and the internet. The chapter tries to distinguish between different public spheres like Habermas’s bourgeoisie public sphere, mass media-based public sphere and internet-based public sphere – and the way the public sphere influences democratic practice. The paper also attempts to look at the discursive nature of the internet. It attempts to look at whether the Internet can act as a functional medium for deliberative democratic practices.