Social media have taken over our lives. In this thesis I contend that social media platforms should be seen as new digital public spheres. The potentiality of social media platforms is unparalleled...Show moreSocial media have taken over our lives. In this thesis I contend that social media platforms should be seen as new digital public spheres. The potentiality of social media platforms is unparalleled. Exploring and expanding on Habermas’s ground-breaking book The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, I showcase what we can learn from Habermas’s ideal of the public sphere in our contemporary digital society. As the democratic potentiality of social media platforms is unparalleled, we ought to structure it in a Habermasian manner by respecting inclusiveness, equality and using it for discussions about public affairs. If we fail to do so and not explicitly and actively redesign our online environments, both our online and offline lives are prone to appallingly harmful effects. I conclude with suggestions of how we can restructure and redesign social media platforms to be at the service of, instead of thwarting, both our individual lives and our democracy.Show less
