Creating New Electoral Public Spheres

Abstract

Democratic governments need to recognize that dominant technology platforms will never adequately perform certain functions of the public sphere-most notably during election campaigns-and create alternative public service digital public spheres. The dominant technology platforms have become our global public sphere. This should not be unduly surprising given the ubiquity, accessibility, and range of their services (in many cases offered free at point-of-use). Indeed, as will be argued in this chapter, the technology platforms in many ways conform more closely to the normative Habermasian public sphere than legacy media. Yet, they are also deficient as a public sphere. Where they are deficient, and in order to avoid public migration to online private spheres, democratic societies should seek to develop and nurture alternative digital public spheres. One such alternative should be for election campaigns, since there is now significant evidence to show the multiple deficiencies of the platforms in performing the communications functions necessary during electoral campaigns. This chapter will provide a rationale for the development of alternative digital public spheres and sketch out what an alternative electoral digital public sphere might look like. From February 2020 onwards, for periods of weeks or sometimes months, a large proportion of the world's population was required to stay at home or observe curfews in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. During these periods people relied much more heavily than usual on the Internet for their work, their news,