Abstract

Can the internet be a public space, and eventually a public sphere? The main aim of this paper is to explore the answer to this question. First, I distinguish a public space from a public sphere. Then, I elucidate what Jean Baudrillard meant by murder of reality, specifically in the context of digital media. Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality has captured the difficulties of the internet as a communication tool, but as he is bleak on his assessments, his view also suggests a picture of what it should take for the internet to become an effective public space. In that regard, I propose the idea of enlightened political discourse inspired by Jurgen Habermas as a way to bring about the potential of the internet as a public space. Finally, I identify two challenges to the internet becoming a public space, namely the problem of social media bias, and the problem of excessive government intervention. I argue that these two problems undermine any possibility of the internet being a public space, and if they are not overcome, the picture of the internet as a public sphere will always remain a farfetched possibility.