Remembering hope: mediated queer futurity and counterpublics in Turkey’s authoritarian times

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Yener Bayramoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Coup D'etat ◽  
The Public ◽  
Textual Material ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Tabloid Press ◽  
Looking Back

Abstract This article explores how hope and visions of the future have left their mark on media discourse in Turkey. Looking back at some of the events that took place in the 1980s, a decade that was shaped by the aftermath of the 1980 coup d’état, and considering them alongside what has happened since the ban of Istanbul’s Pride march in 2015, it examines traces of hope in two periods of recent Turkish history characterized by authoritarianism. Drawing on an array of visual and textual material drawn from the tabloid press, magazines, newspapers, and digital platforms, it inquires into how queer hope manages to infiltrate mediated publics even in times of pessimism and hopelessness. Based upon analysis of an archive of discourses on resistance, solidarity, and future, it argues that queer hope not only helps to map out possible future routes for queer lives in (and beyond) Turkey, but also operates as a driving political force that sustains queers’ determination to maintain their presence in the public sphere despite repressive nationalist, militarist, Islamist, and authoritarian regimes.

The Politics of Immersive Storytelling

2020 ◽  
pp. 175-190
Author(s):  
Christian Stiegler
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Logic ◽  
The Public Sphere

This article applies and extends the concept of social media logic to assess the politics of immersive storytelling on digital platforms. These politics are considered in the light of what has been identified as mass media logic, which argues that mass media in the 20th century gained power by developing a commanding discourse that guides the organization of the public sphere. The shift to social media logic in the 21st century, with its grounding principles of programmability, popularity, connectivity, and datafication, influenced a new discourse on the logics of digital ecosystems. Digital platforms such as Facebook are offering all-surrounding mediated environments to communicate in Virtual Reality (‘Facebook Spaces') as well as immersive narratives such as Mr. Robot VR. This article provides an understanding of the politics of immersive storytelling and of its underlying principles of programmability, user experience, popularity, and platform sociality, which define immersive technologies in the 21st century.

Care, Values and an Uncaring Media

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
The Public ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
The University

Evidence of ‘dissemination’ is now seen as part of research delivery by grant-giving bodies such as the ESRC and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Drawing on the growing body of research into media sources (Manning 2001, Davis, 2000) and relating it to debates on the public sphere (Habermas 1989), the paper will ask what (if anything) researchers have to gain from involvement with the mass media and whether specialised help can assist in bringing social policy research from the margins into the mainstream of media discourse. It will look in particular at the special difficulties of disseminating ‘fuzzy’ qualitative research findings which do not lend themselves to obviously eye-catching headlines. The paper will draw on an ESRC funded experiment at the University of Leeds as a case study with which to explore these issues.

Fear Control in Media Discourse

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-219
Author(s):  
Davor Marko
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Public Language ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
And Control

This article deals with how fear is misused in media discourse. Pursuing the claim that it is impossible to eliminate fear from the public sphere, this paper argues that fear control is a technique widely used by certain interest groups to generate and spread uncertainty among people in order to create an atmosphere in which their goals are easily reachable. This paper will discuss the concepts of discourse, hegemony, and power relations in order to show how public language (both written and spoken) in media discourse reflects, creates, and maintains power relations. In this sense, fear, which is a crucial “energizing fuel” of such public language, could be considered and further elaborated as both a contextual variable and as a tool for facilitating power relations by applying various techniques. Aiming to show how media use and control the nature and level of fear in public discourse, I will discuss two techniques – the commercialization of fear and the method of “othering.” While commercialization implies the mass (re)production and (re)appropriation of fear in a public space, “othering” has been applied when the object of reporting is an out-group individual or community and self-group is using the media as a tool for their negative portrayal, thus creating boundaries and provoking discrimination and violence. The case of Serbia will be used to indicate how techniques of “othering,” linked with the regime’s propaganda, may contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of fear, and make a people seek protection and become easy prey for manipulation.

scholarly journals Bloggers and Deliberative Democracy in Indonesia's Blogosphere

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (28) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Jacky
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Deliberative Democracy ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discursive Construction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Support ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
The Relationship

<p>The study of the relationship between the Internet and democracy has produced two main debates. Some studies have said that the Internet has significantly contributed to democracy while others disagree. This study challenged the thesis of Habermas (2006) about the relationship between the Internet and Deliberative Democracy. This study was built on the following propositions: that the Internet causes bloggers to become parasitic, fragmented, and isolated; that it is effective in breaking down authoritarian regimes to create an egalitarian relationship, but it fails as a deliberative medium. This study used the concept of the public sphere and Habermas’ Deliberative Democracy (2006). It also explored the use of 2.0 qualitative methods with a hacking analysis perspective. Moreover, it gained data from the Internet by using the latest version of 2.0 Web and a virtual community. It focused on both discursive and non-discursive construction. The results of this study support only one of Habermas’ three propositions: that the Internet creates egalitarianism. Thus, this study rejects Habermas’ thesis apart from this one proposition. Furthermore, this study recommends that further research be done using the same propositions but on Twitter instead of the Internet.</p>

The Role of Media Influence in Shaping Public Energy Dialogues

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Hegemonic Discourse ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Policy Analysis ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Media Discourses

The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of the main mechanisms and processes observed in media discourses with the potential to shape political and economic responses to energy issues. By adopting the discursive approach to public policy analysis, the author attempts to answer these questions: How is energy is discussed? What is said and what is not said? Who speaks and who is absent in media discourse? The focus is on the problems of media communication that are crucial for public dialogue on energy. In conclusion, it is argued that the energy discourse in mass media is a post-hegemonic discourse, while the counter-discourses try to find their place in other dimensions of the public sphere, such as nonfiction literature or social media, and therefore their visibility is limited.

Modern Roman Catholic Mission and the Legacy of Uganda’s Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-168
Author(s):  
J. J. Carney
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Catholic Mission ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Public Sphere

Arguably the most important Roman Catholic leader in postcolonial Uganda, Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga is largely unknown outside the country. As archbishop of Kampala between 1966 and 1990, Nsubuga hosted the first papal visit to sub-Saharan Africa in 1969 and started the Uganda Martyrs’ Shrine, now the largest pilgrimage destination in East Africa. Living under the authoritarian regimes of Milton Obote and Idi Amin, Nsubuga embodied three key emphases in modern Catholic mission in the public sphere: the option for the poor, ecumenism, and resistance to political dictatorship.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
The State ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Nationalist Movements ◽  
The Public ◽  
Modern Politics ◽  
The Public Sphere

This chapter introduces readers to concepts of nationalism in historic and modern contexts. The concept of Otherness and alienation that are a symptom and result of increased nationalism in modern politics is explored. The use of digital technologies, including social networking platforms by contemporary nationalist movements is highlighted, explaining the influence that is afforded to average citizens via these tools. Communicative digital platforms are enabling dissent against both society and the state, and the egalitarian nature of digital technologies allows for the swift and often effective mobilization of protest that transcends the online into the public sphere.

‘No Line on the Horizon'

2020 ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Christian Stiegler
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Logic ◽  
The Public Sphere

This chapter applies and extends the concept of social media logic to assess the politics of immersive storytelling on digital platforms. These politics are considered in the light of what has been identified as mass media logic, which argues that mass media in the 20th century gained power by developing a commanding discourse that guides the organization of the public sphere. The shift to social media logic in the 21st century, with its grounding principles of programmability, popularity, connectivity, and datafication, influenced a new discourse on the logics of digital ecosystems. Digital platforms such as Facebook are offering all-surrounding mediated environments to communicate in virtual reality (‘Horizon') as well as immersive narratives such as Mr. Robot VR. This chapter provides an overview of the changing dynamics within Facebook's VR strategy as well as an understanding of the politics of immersive storytelling and its underlying principles of programmability, user experience, popularity, and platform sociality, which define immersive technologies in the 21st century.

The Politics of Immersive Storytelling

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Stiegler
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Logic ◽  
The Public Sphere

This article applies and extends the concept of social media logic to assess the politics of immersive storytelling on digital platforms. These politics are considered in the light of what has been identified as mass media logic, which argues that mass media in the 20th century gained power by developing a commanding discourse that guides the organization of the public sphere. The shift to social media logic in the 21st century, with its grounding principles of programmability, popularity, connectivity, and datafication, influenced a new discourse on the logics of digital ecosystems. Digital platforms such as Facebook are offering all-surrounding mediated environments to communicate in Virtual Reality (‘Facebook Spaces') as well as immersive narratives such as Mr. Robot VR. This article provides an understanding of the politics of immersive storytelling and of its underlying principles of programmability, user experience, popularity, and platform sociality, which define immersive technologies in the 21st century.

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