As one of our classmates noted last week, Twitter is a
great example of a Global Public Sphere. Joking aside, how social media influences
everything we think about every single day, is no laughing matter. Today’s
article in The Washington Post reads: “Analysis: Dogs being used to make
political statements on Twitter.”[1]
There is apparently an emerging ecosystem of satirical
accounts for fictional animals that take on distinct political leaning. It’s an
alternate universe full of alt-right dog politics, a community of gun-loving
pets and a stream of angry capitalized barks by a watchdog sniffing out online
racism. Each account comes with political and social commentary under the guise
of a loveable avatar. While some are used for parody and others for a
specific purpose, each is carefully curated to distinguish its own tone and
content. Racism Watchdog alerts users to tweets with racist
undertones, and Breitbark News relays its “alt-bite” conservative agenda
through dog puns. Based off their political posts, these accounts are
accumulating tens of thousands of followers who boost their tweets to virality.
The history of using animals for political and
ideological purposes has a dark past. “One of the things that happened in early trolling
spaces in the early to mid-2000s, (trolls) enjoyed juxtaposing cute animals,
often cats, with absolutely disgusting, politically abhorrent views and
statements,” the article reads. “It deliberately plays up the dichotomy between,
say, a cute dog and misogynistic expression.”
Twitter is a breeding ground for trolls and bots,
especially when it comes to political hot topics. The incontrovertible proof of
Russia’s meddling in our elections, and interference with our democratic
process, should be a wake-up call.
The cyber sphere definitely is a global public sphere,
and the damage it can bring is scary. Dark web and cyber-attacks aside, we need
to think about how it influences the ways we might perceive our fellow Americans
just for having opposing political views, and whose influence we realize it is
after all.
In class we discussed whether a global public sphere actually exists and I really don't know if there was such a thing in practice until the past decade or so. Social media and the internet is really the only platform that was able to connect the entire globe into one medium and allow universal participation. Prior to this advance in technology, there was nothing that allowed everyone from all corners of the globe to participate in the same discussion or in the same sphere. Everything was regionalized or "invite only".
ReplyDeleteSince a true global public sphere hasn't really existed previously, there is no rule book for how to construct or operate in this environment. As a result, these channels like Twitter, Reddit, and 4Chan being inundated with bots and groups actively working to undermine the dialogue; there is nothing to stop it from happening. Governments don't know how to respond because they are still learning where their authority starts/stops in the cyber space. Corporations don't know/don't want to control the space because it could cost them money, and clearly society is having a really hard time policing itself on these new channels. Without some higher power or norms and rules to regulate the system, these global public spheres are quickly turning into spaces of anarchy.
Michael and Eka, I agree that it is difficult to really wrap ones head around the idea of a global public sphere, but truthfully I think they existed before technology and social media. There have been opportunities for world leaders to come together and discuss challenges faced by the entire global community and to exchange ideas about them long before social media. The League of Nations and the United Nations are both good examples of this. Additionally, I think you could make the argument that world marketplaces were also forms of global public spheres, where market practices, legends, rumors, and political ideologies were exchanged (i.e. post-enlightenment Europe).
ReplyDeleteOverall, I do agree that the public sphere is well-represented by modern technologies like social media, I'm just not sure I agree that it didn't really exist prior.