Role of Social Media in the Forming of Public Sphere; Based on Haberma's Theory

Following the expansion of social media and the need for dialog between members of society which is a way to develop their knowledge about contemporary events, many social scientists considered these virtual networks as favorable atmosphere to form communications. While the above assumption was adapted by scientists to explained their theories, less literature has been allocated to analyze accuracy of the basics of the assumption. Habermas is among those scientists who form their public sphere theory based on two “conversation” and “its prerequisites” pillars. This paper studied whether social media can provide essentials to form public sphere based on Habermas’ theory. At last, the writer concluded current features of social media fit to those of public sphere yet some lacks are not due to the nature of so-called social networks.