
Democracy and the Public Sphere
From Dystopia Back to Utopia
Hans-Joerg Trenz(Author)
Bristol University Press
1st Edition
Published on 23. November 2023
Book
Hardback
263 pages
978-1-5292-3435-0 (ISBN)
Description
From fake news to infringement of privacy in digital spheres, the changing landscapes of media and public communication have completely transformed contemporary democracies in recent decades.
Disruptions of media functioning can be seen as evidence for a transition from democracy to post-democracy, but how plausible is this scenario? Using empirical evidence, the author asks how imminent the threat of the end of democracy is, and how it can be restored.
Exploring the creative and destructive ways individuals and groups make use of new digital and social media in democratic societies across the world, the book presents a much-needed critical theory of the public sphere as we enter the new digital age.
Disruptions of media functioning can be seen as evidence for a transition from democracy to post-democracy, but how plausible is this scenario? Using empirical evidence, the author asks how imminent the threat of the end of democracy is, and how it can be restored.
Exploring the creative and destructive ways individuals and groups make use of new digital and social media in democratic societies across the world, the book presents a much-needed critical theory of the public sphere as we enter the new digital age.
Reviews / Votes
"By a scholar with the rare gift of creatively handling both theorizations of the public sphere and empirical investigations of future, current or historical developments in democracy studies, this very readable and enlightening work is a must-read for intellectually and politically curious readers." Jostein Gripsrud, University of BergenMore details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Bristol
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
1 s/w Tabelle
1 Tables, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
534 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5292-3435-0 (9781529234350)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Bristol University Press
€44.49
Available for download
Person
Hans-Joerg Trenz is Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication at Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy.
Content
1. Introduction: Vanishing Publics - The Erosion of Democracy and the Public Sphere
2. The Legacy and the Future of the Public Sphere
3. Public Sphere Dystopia: A Diagnosis
4. Between Dystopia and Utopia: The Social and Political Field of Public Sphere Criticism
5. Does All This Really Happen? The Experimental Setting of Public Sphere Resilience
6. Conclusion: Beyond Post-democracy
2. The Legacy and the Future of the Public Sphere
3. Public Sphere Dystopia: A Diagnosis
4. Between Dystopia and Utopia: The Social and Political Field of Public Sphere Criticism
5. Does All This Really Happen? The Experimental Setting of Public Sphere Resilience
6. Conclusion: Beyond Post-democracy