The democracy in a network society: Problems and prospects of development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu23.2020.204Abstract
This article examines the role of the new media and social networks as a factor in the development of deliberative democracy. In the late 1990s, it was thought that the communication revolution would be a way to overcome the crisis of representative democracy. With the development of the Internet, the transition from a hierarchical model of communications to a network was supposed to bring changes to the sphere of politics. New media and social networks should guarantee access of civil society to the political public sphere and help narrow the gap between the elite and the people. Requirements are being formulated to increase the transparency and accountability of state institutions, and to strengthen policy control. It was believed that the Internet will become a place where the principles of deliberative democracy will be embodied. But now we should admit that the new media development causes disappointment, and a times anxiety. Instead of the growth of public discussions, we may encounter “echo chambers”, a victim of the essence of information for effect, which as a result, leads to the radicalization of citizens. Governments and IT-corporations exploit the increased capabilities of social networks and Big Data to control and manipulate information, which jeopardizes the possibility of free discussion. The impact on emotions and simple slogans turned out to be more acceptable in the Internet age than a reflective discussion on social issues. The communication revolution has led to changes in the public sphere, but at the same time, it can lead to the erosion of democracy.
Keywords:
deliberative democracy, network policy, political communication, public sphere, democracy crisis, mass media
Downloads
References
Баранов Н. А. Делиберативная политика в условиях кризиса представительной демократии // Вестник СПбГУ. Сер. 6: Международные отношения. 2014. Вып. 4. С. 127–133.
Гуторов В. А. Либеральная модель журналистики в историческом и теоретическом измерениях // Век информации. 2019. Т.7, № 1. С. 33–44.
Кастельс М. Власть коммуникации. М.: ГУ ВШЭ, 2016. 563 с.
Кастельс М. Информационная эпоха: Экономика, общество и культура. М.: ГУ ВШЭ, 2000. 606 с.
Кимелли Р. Пресса под ружьем // Россия в глобальной политике. 2011. №2. С. 69–74.
Кин Д. Демократия и декаданс медиа. М.: Издательский дом Высшей школы экономики, 2015. 308 с.
Коулман С. Может ли Интернет укрепить демократию. СПб.: Алтея, 2018. 130 с.
Крауч К. «Наша модель демократии не дает нам шансов на участие в политике». Colta.ru 2019. URL: https://www.colta.ru/articles/society/22161-kolin-krauch-nasha-model-demokratii-ne-daet-nam-shansov-dlya-uchastiya-v-politike (дата обращения: 23.08.2019).
Крауч К. Постдемократия. М.: Издательский Дом Государственного университета Высшей школы экономики, 2010. 190 с.
Неверов К. А. Публичная сфера социальных медиа: проблема определения стратегий сетевых акторов // Социальные и гуманитарные знания. 2018. Т. 4, № 2 (14). С. 66-70.
«Политика постправды» и популизм / под ред. Поповой О. В. СПб.: Скифия-принт, 2018. 216 с.
Самарин Я. В. Влияние интернет-медиа и социальных сетей на становление популистских движений // Возможности и угрозы цифрового общества. Ярославль: ООО «Аверс Плюс», 2018. С. 93-98.
Хабермас Ю. Ах, Европа. Небольшие политические сочинения. М.: Издательство «Весь Мир», 2012. 155 с.
Хабермас Ю. Демократия. Разум. Нравственность. М.: Издательский центр «AKADEMIA», 1995. 244 с.
Хабермас Ю. Вовлечение другого. Очерки политической теории. СПб.: Наука, 2001. 417 с.
Шерстобитов А. С., Кусик О. А. Криптовалюты как вызов управляемости: публичная политика современных государств в различных сетевых и политико-административных контекстах // Социальные и гуманитарные знания. 2018. Т. 4, № 2 (14). С. 88-99.
The Network Society: From Knowledge to Policy / ed. by Castells M., Cardoso G. Washington, DC: Johns Hopkins Center for Transatlantic Relations, 2005. 434 p.
Dewey J. The Public and Its Problems. New York: Holt, 1927. 224 p.
Grossman L. K. The Electronic Republic. Reshaping Democracy in the Information Age. New York: Viking, 1995. 304 p.
Hallin D. C. The Passing of the "High Modernism" of American Journalism // Journal of Communication. 1992. № 42 (3). P. 14-25.
Klemp N. J., Forcehimes A. T. From Town-Halls to Wikis: Exploring Wikipedia's Implications for Deliberative Democracy // Journal of Public Deliberation. 2010. Vol. 6. Iss. 2. P. 1-36.
REFERENCES (In English)
Baranov N. A. The deliberative policy in conditions of crisis of representative democracy.
Vestnik of Saint-Petersburg University. Ser.6, Mezhdunarodnie otnosheniia, 2014, iss. 4, pp. 127–133. (In Russian)
Castells M. The Information Age. Moscow, Higher School of Economics Publ., 2000. 606 р. (In Russian)
The Network Society: From Knowledge to Policy. Ed. by Castells M., Cardoso G. Washington, DC: Johns Hopkins Center for Transatlantic Relations, 2005. 434 p.
Castells M. Communication Power. Moscow, Higher School of Economics Publ., 2016. 563 р. (In Russian)
Coleman S. Can The Internet Strengthen Democracy? St. Petersburg, Altea Publ., 2018. 130 р. (In Russian)
Crouch C. Our democracy model does not give us a chance to participate in politics. Colta.ru, 2019. Available at: https://www.colta.ru/articles/society/22161-kolin-krauch-nasha-model-demokratii-ne-daet-nam-shansov-dlya-uchastiya-v-politike (accessed: 23.08.2019). (In Russian)
Crouch C. Postdemocracy. Moscow, Higher School of Economics Publ., 2010. 190 р. (In Russian)
Dewey J. The Public and Its Problems. New York, Holt, 1927. 224 p.
Grossman L. K. The Electronic Republic. Reshaping Democracy in the Information Age. New York, Viking, 1995. 304 p.
Gutorov V. A. Liberal model of journalism in historical and theoretical dimensions. Vek infornatsii, 2019, vol. 7, no 1, pp. 33–44. (In Russian)
Habermas J. Ah, Europe. Moscow, Ves’ Mir Publ., 2012. 155 р. (In Russian)
Habermas J. The Democracy, the Reason, the Morality. Moscow, AKADEMIA Publ., 1995. 244 р. (In Russian)
Habermas J. The Inclusion of the Other. St. Petersburg, Nauka Publ., 2001. 417 р. (In Russian)
Hallin D. C. The Passing of the “High Modernism” of American Journalism. Journal of Communication, 1992, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 14–25.
Keane J. Democracy and Media Decadence. Moscow, Higher School of Economics Publ., 2015. 308 р. (In Russian)
Kimelly R. Media under the gun. Rossya v Globalnoy Politike, 2011, no 2, pp. 69–74. (In Russian)
Klemp N. J., Forcehimes A. T. From Town-Halls to Wikis: Exploring Wikipedia's Implications for Deliberative Democracy. Journal of Public Deliberation, 2010, vol. 6, iss. 2, pp. 1–36.
Neverov K. A. Public Sphere of Social Media: The Problem of Determination of the Strategies of Network Actors. Sotsialnie i gumanitarnie znania. 2018, vol. 4, no 2, pp. 66–70. (In Russian)
Post-thruth policy and populism. Ed. by O. V. Popova. St. Petersburg, Skifia print Publ., 2018. 216 р. (In Russian)
Samarin Ya. V. Influence of Internet-Media and Social Networks to the Rising of the Populists Movements. Vozmozhnosti i ugrozi tsifrovogo obshchestva. Yaroslavl’, Avers Plus Publ., 2018, pp. 93-98. (In Russian)
Sherstobitov A. S., Kusik O. A. Cryptocurrencies as the challenge to Governability: Public Policy of the Modern States in Different Networked and Political Administrative Contexts. Sotsial’nie i gumanitarnie znania, 2018, vol. 4, no 2, pp. 88–99. (In Russian)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Articles of "Political Expertise: POLITEX" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.
