Sonia Livingstone (ed), Audiences And Publics: When Cultural Engagement Matters For The Public Sphere

摘要

Consider the following propositions, essentially (but not exclusively) about modern Europe: a modern mediated Europe is one where matters 'res publica' and matters 'res privata' can no longer be properly understood as polarized along traditional and conventional lines; the activities of European publics cannot be divorced from those of European private individuals; private activities occur in a thoroughly mediated environment that cannot be divorced from the activities of European peoples as European audiences; European audiences can become European publics (no matter how briefly or occasionally). That, in a nutshell, is the logic upon which the arguments of this book are based. So the question is how accurate is it and what is the significance of saying that contemporary forms of mediation sustain, alter or reconfigure the distinction publics/audiences or public sphere/private sphere? That is the task of the book.