Communication and Participation in the New Media Era Fausto Colombo (Catholic University, Milan)

Introducing (briefly) myself Professor of Media Theory, Faculty of Political Sciences, Catholic University of Milan Director of OssCom, Research Center on Media and Communication (Catholic University) Main Topics: Digitalisation of media Generations and Media Media and Politics Social History of Italian Media (and Mass Culture)

Discussing about politics in the new media era The new importance of the concept of public sphere The rivitalization oh Habermas’ approach Critics and alternatives

Discussing about public sphere The role of media in Habermas’ theory: Media setting: newspapers, burgeois salon, cafè Social setting: bourgeoisie Cultural setting: familiar, ethical and economic values Main Changes: 1. Transformations in media setting: Professionalization of production Product alienation Change from news as information to news as commodity 2. Transformations in social setting: Proletariat's ascent Mass society

Some hypothesis… Media Setting From Newspapers.. To Cultural Industry Public Sphere To Mass Democracy From bourgeoisie To Proletariat Masses Social Setting

New participatory Media Habermasian hypothesis about new media contribution to public sphere (especially web 2.0) From Cultural Industry To New participatory Media Media setting From Mass Democracy To New Public Sphere From Masses to New citizenship Social setting

Controversial points Underestimation of institutional contexts (audience democracy), political feelings, popular contents Overestimation of the role of rationality in political choices Overemphasis on differences among media and underestimation of their intrinsic flexibility

Underestimation of Institutional Context The role of media changes in different institutional systems: not only in totalitarism (or authoritarism) vs democracies but also in different forms of totalitarism (and authoritarism) and in different forms of democracy

Overestimation of the Role of Rationality Contents and political argumentation are always challenged by emotional conditions: Development of fandom model of the political participation Difficulties in understanding the most important topics Because of the global dimension Because of links with ethical dimension

Overemphasis on differences among media… Difficulties in defining “media”: Interfaces Rituals Flows/contents Possibilites to find the same interface, ritual or content on different media, and viceversa

…and underestimation of media flexibility Every single media always changes and presents differences Monopolistic Tv vs Commercial Tv vs Digital Tvs and their complexity Newspapers Web vs web 2.0

Alternative hyphotesis .. Media (New and Old Media) setting processes are effective as far as they suit dominant culture (egemony) and are encouraged by the whole social/political system.

3 cases of political audiovisual communication on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z2fPi 2VtQI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAuq ZRrYAp0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXf- YbsSh0Y

Multi-dimensional model Institutional system (formal and informal) Political feeling (e.g personalization) Public sphere Media setting: statics, dynamics and relations between media. Cultural change: languages, recurring contents, framing

Multi-dimensional model Institutional system (formal and informal) Public sphere Tradition Powers balance Strenght of institutions

Multi-dimensional model Political feeling Public sphere Trust in institutions Participation culture Sentiment of national belonging

Multi-dimensional model Social and cultural roles of élites Cultural level Role of education and high culture Public sphere Cultural change: languages, recurring contents, framing

Multi-dimensional model Complexity of settings Diffusion of new media and media literacy Competition and economic autonomy Public sphere Media setting: statics, dynamics and relations between media.

Conclusions Differences between old and new media are less important then differences between societies The concept of public sphere could be useful, but it need some critical observation

fausto.colombo@unicatt.it http:laculturasottile.wordpress.com