Week 4 – Topic 1 - Lister A/B

Online communities allow for people to feel empowered as there is the option for such a varied number of users to get involved. “There’s always another mind out there.” (Lister, page 173) This emphasises the point of cultural variety, and although online communities are criticised for not being localised, at the same time people who may not agree with their surrounding groups, can go online and find likeminded people and be part of a community.
It is here where the internet can provide a ‘public sphere’ because people can interact by talking of societal issues etc from all over the world. However, it’s been argued that as a public sphere online has become too much and isn’t taken as seriously as before, this is identified by Habermas 1989 “mass media has played a key role in the dissolution of a healthy public sphere by replacing a discourse of critical reason with entertainment and spectacle.” (Lister, 177) This is obviously applying mass media to the internet.XXXXX
This is a counter point in what Lister says about a “lack of diversity” (174) there is however the factor of ‘disempowerment’ as there is a “lack of diversity of age, ethnicity and social class.” (174) still apparent. It can be argued whether communities are real because they don’t necessarily mirror a real life community. XXXXX
Moreover, as mentioned in blogs from last week people are able to voice their opinions and beliefs without the added pressure of in real life where sometimes you are ‘put on the spot.’ Therefore people are more empowered in that they can express themselves freely; however are people able to express themselves too freely, can online interaction create too much empowerment??