What do Big Brother and Q and A have in common?

Both are examples of a ‘Mediated Public Sphere’, which McKee (2004) defines as: ‘a metaphor for thinking about how individuals come together to exchange idea, information and feelings about what matters to them in a liberal society’.

A chapter on the public sphere and social media – Twitter and Democracy: A new public sphere? Christian Fuchs.

 

Suggested reading: Questions and Answers or More Confusion?

McKee, Alan (2004) The Public Sphere: an Introduction. Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge.

 

This week’s blog post: Find an example of a popular media text (magazine; TV show; film; social media) presenting an issue

• How might this media text contribute to debate in the ‘public sphere’?

 

In class:

What issues are presented in these examples? What other issues might these examples raise?

Where (what media form) did you find debate?
Zayn leaves 1D – fan reaction

I’ll Ride With You:

Bring Them Here – Australia’s refugee policy

Safe Schools Policy debate

Change the Date – Australia Day