Description
The aim of this contribution is a conceptual exploration of the question "How does an infrastructural perspective on public articulation and deliberation challenge our understanding of the central role of journalism in democratic societies?"The relevance of this question derives from two observations:
1) Processes of public articulation take place in a convergent, digital and networked environment that is highly fragmented in terms of actor roles and political positions and highly dependent on a few online platforms and services, which assume an infrastructural function. This function is used by individual and institutional actors, public broadcasters,parties as well as commercial entities for direct communication with audiences and followers.
2) The disjunct disciplinary frameworks of fields such as media network studies, Internet and social media studies, political (online) communication, social movement studies and (digital) journalism studies so far obstruct a greater realization and theoretical appreciation of this fundamental change.
The goal of this conceptual exploration is thus to use the term "infrastructures of publics" to address these changes and contribute to theory-building. Based on foundational texts by Star, Ruhleder, Bowker, Plantin, Parks and others, the contribution highlights how a general definition of infrastructures as "pervasive enabling resources in network form" (Bowker et al 2010) and the methodological orientation towards "infrastructural inversion" (Star and Ruhleder, 1996) can shape an understanding of public articulation in the post-journalistic society. The emphasis on post-journalism questions the established notion that journalism as a practice of deliberation, communication and information is a necessary and indispensable component of democratic sense-making and governance. Rather, by problematizing journalism as an institutional form of modernity and by addressing its infrastructural function, the goal is to critically evaluate how practices of articulation and networking have proliferated in non-journalistic domains and begin to alter the very conditions of public spheres in general.
| Period | 21 Oct 2019 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Infrastructures and Inequalities: Media Industries, Digital Cultures and Politics |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Helsinki, FinlandShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
Keywords
- infrastructures of publics
- publics/counterpublics
- journalism studies
- object-oriented publics