Public sphere

<p>The public sphere  is an area in <a href="/facts/Social_relation/DU3HW2Ah">social life</a> where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion, <a href="/facts/Social_influence/jR84Vghj">influence</a> <a href="/facts/Political_action/7FR24vLd">political action</a>. A "Public" is "of or concerning the people as a whole." Such a discussion is called <a href="/facts/Public_debate/WoPw91rB">public debate</a> and is defined as the expression of views on matters that are of concern to the public—often, but not always, with opposing or diverging views being expressed by participants in the discussion. Public debate takes place mostly through the <a href="/facts/Mass_media/M1UE4TTp">mass media</a>, but also at meetings or through <a href="/facts/Social_media/kUIkfpIA">social media</a>, academic publications, and <a href="/facts/Government_policy/fYl7gXaC">government policy</a> documents.
</p><p>The term was originally coined by German <a href="/facts/Philosophy/zAH5PVD6">philosopher</a> <a href="/facts/J%25C3%25BCrgen_Habermas/R4mKqACW">Jürgen Habermas</a> who defined the public sphere as "made up of private people gathered together as a public and articulating the needs of society with the state". <a href="/facts/Communication/EGEkchsT">Communication</a> <a href="/facts/Scholar/AlNaeFYB">scholar</a> <a href="/facts/Gerard_A._Hauser/R34YPWeY">Gerard A. Hauser</a> defines it as "a discursive space in which individuals and groups associate to discuss matters of mutual interest and, where possible, to reach a common judgment about them". The public sphere can be seen as "a theater in modern societies in which political participation is enacted through the medium of talk"  and "a realm of social life in which public opinion can be formed".
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Public sphere open-in-new

Public sphere