Democratic societies need spaces in which people and political elites become visible to each other, develop shared agendas, and settle on collectively binding decisions. These spaces are the public arena.

The digital transformation of the public arena is one of the most important challenges democratic societies face today. Associated opportunities and hopes, but also dangers and fears, feature prominently in public discussions. In this and the following three episodes, we will discuss the public arena, its democratic functions, and challenges introduced by digital media. This discussion is just getting started, so be prepared to leave with more questions than answers.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
00:22 - The public arena
03:32 - The public arena defined
11:06 - The functions of the public arena for democracy
14:46 - Visibility and representation
17:22 - Group formation
18:52 - Problem solving
21:54 - Conclusion

Script:

http://digitalmedia.andreasjungherr.de/public_arena.html#the-public-arena