I have to admit, I am still trying to get my head around the concept of a public.

In the article Public and Counterpublics, Michael Warner (2002) declares that a public is a vital part of the social landscape today. But what exactly does he mean when he uses the word ‘public’?

Warner acknowledges that due to the many definitions attributed to the noun ‘public,’ often there is confusion as to what exactly what is being referred in the context of social media technologies and practices. He suggest people often assume it mean ‘the’ public, which refers to people in general, a social collective. However, ‘a’ public, although it also has a sense of totality, refers to a

“Concrete audience, a crowd witnessing itself in visible space, as with a theatrical public” (Warner 2002, p. 50).

 (Baumann 2010)

A public is multifaceted and has a number of distinguishing features.

Warner identifies a number of distinguishing elements of a public:

A public is self-organized - it creates a space and exists based on the discourse in itself (Warner 2002, p. 50).

A public connects strangers through affiliation (Warner 2002, p. 57).

A public address is both personal and impersonal - it has the potential to go beyond that of its intended audience (Warner 2002, p. 58).

A public is established through attention (Warner 2002, p. 61).

A public is the social space created by reflective circulation of discourse, as people respond to the address (Warner 2002, p. 63).

It has a lifespan based on its circulation (Warner 2002, p. 68).

Knowing these have helped make the concept of a public clearer, as well as easier to spot.

The blog, a perfect example of a public!

Originally known as a weblog, a blog is a type of website that is updated often by one or more authors (Siles 2011, p. 781, Wright-Porto 2011, p. xviii).

What makes a blog uniquely different to other websites is its structure and function.

Typically within a blog, there is a section in which an article or journal entry, also know as a post, can be written and published (Wright-Porto 2011, p. xviii). Posts can contain text, images, videos, hyperlinks other social media. As more posts are added to a blog, posts are presented in reverse chronological order with the most recent entry appearing first. The author of this post is know as a blogger (Wright-Porto 2011, p. xviii). There is also provision for comments to be made on the post by its viewers. The links and comments of a blog increase user interactivity. Through the page of a blog, people can choose to subscribe or follow or share a blog through their own network if they wish. Each aspect of the blog helps to create a public (Wright-Porto 2011, p. xviii). 

(Callaghan 2015)

Due to the affordances of new media, blogs are now easier to maintain then conventional websites and the tend to get more traffic as well (Wright-Porto 2011, p. xviii). Because of this, a vast population of individuals, groups and corporations now express their thoughts, experiences and opinions on a variety of discourses through the activity of blogging. This has created a community of blogs and blogger, otherwise know as the blogosphere (Kim, Zheng & Gupta 2011, p. 1760).

What I have realized is that as a digital citizen, I am already part of the publics….. whether I understand the terminology or not! 

References

Kim, Hee-Woong, Zheng, J R & Gupta, S 2011, ‘Examining knowledge contributions from the perspective of an online identity in blogging communities’, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1760-1770, viewed 16 November 2015, <http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0747563211000616>.

Siles, I 2011, ‘The rise of blogging: Articulation as a dynamic of technological stabilization’, New Media & Society, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 781-797, viewed 16 November 2015, <http://nms.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/content/14/5/781>.

Warner, M 2002, ‘Publics and Counterpublics’, Public Culture, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 49-90.

Wright-Porto, H 2011, Creative Blogging: You First Step to a Successful Blog, Apress, Springer eBooks.

Images

Baumann, J 2010, ‘Foto 1: Mondial organisiert OEGGG Tagung in Zell am See’, [image], mondial.at, viewed 27 November 2015,  <http://www.mondial.at/presse/docs/original/mikro.jpg>.

Callaghan, S 2015, ‘Professional blog design example’ [image], Seemy Designs by Shauna, viewed 27 November 2015, <http://seemydesignsbyshauna.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Screen-Shot-2013-12-28-at-3.55.37-PM.png>.