Public Sphere and Spiral of Silence

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Introduction to the Public Sphere

Welcome to COM 497. Today's topic is the public sphere. The lecture starts by referencing Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who publicly shared her experience of sexual assault by then Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The central question is: When do individuals break their silence to address uncomfortable issues, and when do they choose not to?

Course Overview

The lecture will cover:

• What constitutes the public sphere.

• The spiral of silence.

We will address:

• Social and psychological factors influencing opinion expression.

• How the changing media environment influences the mechanism of the spiral of silence.

Defining the Public Sphere

The public sphere is a realm of social life where something approaching public opinion can be formed. We will draw from our previous discussions about the mass, the crowd, and the public to understand this concept.

Jurgen Habermas's Perspective

One of the foundational scholars who defined public sphere was Jurgen Habermas. His key assumption is that all citizens can participate; in an ideal public sphere, everyone should have a voice and the ability to make their voices heard.