A main area of focus is the differentiation of public and private space. Public space is different from private space in the main essence that public space requires a certain level of consideration before communicating. I mean, one example would deal with social media. It's prevalent in a lot of people's lives. Unfortunately, it's not always seen as an ideal way to present yourself. "Identity emerges with clarity through differentiation" (106). A lot of people tend to post their frustration, which can receive some controversy. Whenever a celebrity or athletes "tweets" on Twitter about their opinion on a certain topic, it's there for the whole world to see. A lot of times, these people receive criticism for a lack of good judgment for posting a controversial view.
It's important though that public space be used in a effective way. Learning through difference in school and being able to converse with classmates about ideas is essential.
I agree with the definition that public discourse basically serves to protect a wide variety of ideas and narratives that encompass our society. I also agree that it is important to understand and define public information vs. private information. I think everyone should have the right to make their private information public information if they so choose. However, the idea that people have a sacred place to share they're views and ideas without being persecuted does not always exist. For example, someone who gets bullied on a social networking site like Facebook isn't being able to share they're views in a space that is "honored or valued". So does this still make Facebook a sacred space? because they're many times people can freely express their differing beliefs. I believe that no place Is truly sacred if one of the components of a sacred place is to be able to speak in a public place that is honored and valued. The issue lies in the fact that not all people are open minded enough to allow for such a public space because they're will always be someone their to criticize your ideas and not value what you have to say. However, I would argue that people can often create a private space for themselves and discuss personal topics with people they trust. Thus, the main point is that people often have to balance they're personal and public information in a way that doesn't bring them harm regarding their ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to managing the balance of private vs. public information, people are restricted in how far they're beliefs are actually heard be others and "valued". For example, most of the public is going to care more about what Donald Trump has to say about minimum wage vs. what Adrian Peterson has to say about minimum wage because Trump is running for president. Thus, in this case Trump has more access to the public because people care more about learning Trumps views vs Peterson. The same would occur if the topic were on football, Peterson would have more people value and care what he has to say over what trump would have to say regarding football. The point is that depending on the topic, people have different accesses to the sacred place and depending on who you are and your credibility gives you access to having that power in a sacred place.
In all, it is important to recognize what information should be public and what should remain private. This is also how one can maintain their identity and relationships with others based on what information gets shared where. Additionally, society doesn't always allow for a sacred place for people to share their private information and the opportunity is not there to do so honorably because the public has priorities to do what's best for them. Thus, individuals will only give attention to that which they want to give attention to.
I think that one of the great things about social media is the fact that it serves as a platform for public discourse. Prior to the expansion of social media it was much more difficult to engage in dialogue with others who care about the same topic you do. I know many people who choose to use Facebook as a way to express their opinions on topics ranging from A to Z and truly engage in conversation through comments made by other people who are passionate about the topic. I feel as though social media is a more informal way to have these discussions whereas before you may have had to be enrolled at a university or be in certain social groups to talk about issues you care about. Thus social media allows for many more people to engage.
ReplyDeleteI will say that different people use social media for different reasons and that is an important thing to keep in mind. There is a certain extent to which each social media user can control how public or how private their sphere is, which I think is pretty unique to this historical moment. If you don't want to constantly see people posting about minimum wage, for example, you could unfollow or unfriend that person so that you don't have to see those posts. However, if that is something you are very passionate about, social media is a good platform to engage. The number of times I have seen comment threads with totally opposing viewpoints is countless and that just goes to show that the public sphere that social media can be, allows for and promotes differing ideas and attitudes to be displayed.
I agree with you. I personally don’t like posting frustration or negative emotion on twitter or Facebook, because it could make others annoyed. Social network seems like private space where we can share with our friends whatever you want, however, I believe it is still private space due to its big impact on many people. Even though you can prevent stranger from reading your post or profile by limiting your viewers, your post is still open to hundreds of your friends. Technology definitely helps us to learn effectively from differences, but we need to know an appropriate way to take advantage of that.
ReplyDeleteYou said the main essential difference between public and private spaces is whether it requires a certain level of consideration before we communicate. Which is absolutely true since we need to take a responsibility for what we say. The consideration would include prior knowledge of your group or common sense shared within the group. No matter if we are politician or celebrity, we need to know that the effect we give would be more serious than we expect because of different perspectives. In order to discourse successfully and ethically, we need to understand the different viewpoints and the proper way to express your discourse in public. Public space should be a place where we can share differences under the deep consideration and responsibility. At the same time, it should allow us to learn from differences without hurting anyone unethically.