Lecture 7 Flashcards
Networked Publics and Ad Hoc publics
What is a “public” in the deliberative democracy model?
A space in social life where citizens discuss matters of public interest, forming public opinions based on equal access (Habermasian perspective).
What is a “networked public”?
Publics restructured by networked technologies, acting as both a space created through these technologies and the imagined collective resulting from people, technology, and practices.
What are structural affordances, according to boyd?
Distinct features of social media platforms that shape user interactions, such as persistence, searchability, replicability, and scalability.
Describe “persistence” as a structural affordance.
Persistence means that online expressions and actions are recorded and archived, making it difficult to erase past content, unlike offline interactions that are usually ephemeral.
Describe “searchability” as a structural affordance.
Searchability allows users to locate specific content or people by using searchable traces left online, changing how information is accessed and making individuals easily findable.
Describe “replicability” as a structural affordance.
Replicability enables digital content to be copied and shared widely, which can lead to altered versions or misinformation spreading as though it were the original content.
Describe “scalability” as a structural affordance.
Scalability refers to the potential for digital content to reach a large audience, though actual visibility depends on factors like engagement and algorithms, creating an attention economy.
Explain “collapsed contexts” as a dynamic in networked publics.
It refers to the lack of clear social and temporal boundaries online, where diverse audiences (e.g., friends, family, colleagues) are present simultaneously.
What is the implication of “invisible audiences” for users in networked publics?
Users cannot see or fully know their audiences, leading to the challenge of unintended viewers, like future employers, accessing past content.
What characterizes “ad hoc publics”?
Publics formed spontaneously around a shared topic or event, often facilitated by user-generated hashtags without top-down management.
How are “calculated publics” different from ad hoc publics?
Calculated publics are algorithmically generated based on user data and curated by platforms, often lacking transparency in formation.
Define the role of the Hashtag in ad hoc publics.
A means of coordinating a distributed discussion among large numbers of users, who do not need to be connected through existing follower networks
How does Sojun’s concept of “agency and structure” apply to social media in networked publics?
‘Structure’ is the platform itself – its technical infrastructures, things as the like botton, comment boxes, status updates – create affordances and shape behavior. But: People using the platform still have agency
