Jurgen Habermas: Public Sphere

• Definition: "The public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action"
• According to Habermas, the public sphere is a product of democracy
• The concept of public opinion is the "control and criticism of organized political authority which is officially manifested by the public come elections"
• Habermas examines the history of the public sphere and suggests that in medieval times there was no seperation or distinction between the private and public sphere, due to the class pyramid of the feudal system. The system positioned greater power at every level. Rulers saw themselves to represent their power to the people instead of for the people.
• By the late 18th century feudal institutions were finally disappearing. The term "public" did no longer refer to the representation of a man with authority, but rather became the legitimate power of exercising power. The public sphere (according to Habermas), was the final stage of these developments.
• Habermas produced a book called "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere" which has had a major impact in a variety of disciplines. 

David Gauntlett - Web 2.0

David Gauntlett is a British sociologist and media theorist who focuses on studying contemporary media audiences, as well as the role of such media in self-identity and self-expression.

Web 2.0 has enabled individuals to voice their own opinion, be creative, interact with other users and become an active audience. This is due to the shift from Web 1.0 where the audience used to simply consume information and were therefore passive. However, now the consumers are now also the producers, resulting in 'power for the people'. 

Background Information:

- Graduated from the University of York in Sociology in 1992

- 2006- joined the School of Media, Arts and Design as a Professor of Media and Communications

- He focused on the way that media was changing the overall experience itself, as well as culture

Media 2.0

- He produced 'Media Studies 2.0' online in 2007, which suggests that classic media studies fail to define when the categories of 'audiences' and 'producers' unit, and that due to this, new, altered teaching methods are needed.

- 'Consumers are producers' - It is now easier for consumers to produce their own information through the media nowadays as the necessary equipment is easily accessible and free. For example, through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook and successful websites such as YouTube where individuals can share videos, creating their own identity, influencing others and sharing their opinions.

- 'Making is Connecting' - highlights consumers becoming an active audience. He expressed this view through a 'lego metaphor' which suggests that the connection between making and sharing things can be described through the use of objects. 

- The concept of Web 2.0 was put forward by Tim O'Reilly in 2005 who wrote an article on the subject and published it on the web. 

-  In relation to my product, it is evident that the viewers have become consumers as those who are members of my target audience are also a part of my documentary. This is because some of my footage is recorded by a group of 17-21 year olds who are attending a festival. This indicates that individuals who are of this age are not only able to consume television programmes, but are now also able to be a part of the programmes by recording the experience as it is now socially acceptable, realistic and popular with the demographic.