ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the popular but vague concept of public sphere is reconceptualized as a variety of observable online and offline public spaces integrated in a network structure. These public spaces are the areas for democratic activity as they carry ideas and projects emerging from society and addressing decision makers. The role of these public spaces is different in every view of democracy.
The concept of empirically observable public spaces involves a break with the normative concept of the public sphere by Habermas. His concept was developed for the mass society. In the network society, public space is reconstructed as a multitude, and a mosaic, of different global, national and local spaces.
In these spaces, public, private or commercial and social spaces are blurring. They are more open for everybody than the spaces in the mass society. They show high levels of connectivity and transmission speed with a high level of social interactivity. While they are increasingly hosted and designed by a small number of private companies, these spaces offer many opportunities for online and offline discussion realizing democracy via opinion making.
