Debate: The internet is NOT a public sphere

In the debate both groups chose the normative perspective.

Prosecution:
1. On the internet the opinions expressed are not rational as they are in newspapers and magazines. Most of the comments are not related to public interests and do not enable a good discussion.
2. In many developping countries many cannot get access to the internet due to the lack of technology.
3. Many people are interested in entertainment on the internet and aren't really interested in public matters.(i.e Lady Gaga has more followers on twitter than political figures)

Defence:
1.Most part of the world has access to the internet (69%)
2.The information on twitter helped the general good for journalism and other citizens during the London riots.
3.Internet can be an alternative space for discussion for less democratic countries.

Judges:
We think that even though both groups chose the normative perspective, they actually both adopted the descriptive perspective. We found the arguments of the second group more convincing. By using the example of twitter they demonstrated how the internet can be the best chance to have a public discusion. On the other side the argument of the prosecutors about Lady Gaga is less persuasive, since she is indeed political.

Conclusion: So taking in consideration all the above, we agree with the second group's argument that the internet is a public sphere.

By Tian Luo and Veroniki-Ioanna Samoli