Constrained Elitism and Contemporary Democratic Theory by Timothy Kersey

Author:Timothy Kersey [Kersey, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History & Theory, Democracy, Political Ideologies, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781317928270
Google: MMFYCwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 28564232
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 3.1 Mediated and Networked Relationships

At the level of the public elite, as previously mentioned, communicative action is oriented towards a maximal audience for either the acquisition of or exercise of influence. As the elite are best defined via their (mediated) relationship with the general public, and the general public represents the largest and least demanding audience, communicative action by the public elite is primarily oriented towards the general public. In the competition for influence, however, various strategic advantages can be achieved via intermediate level processes, thus no small portion of elite production is oriented towards the intermediate public.

The general public receives inputs from both the public elite and the intermediate public; given the high degree of interrelation of various forms of media, differentiation between input types provides little useful information.20 Input paths, however, may be insightful to the extent that they structure differing levels of production by the general public. Inviting active consumption has become de rigueur for information streams delivered via networked paths, and is increasingly practiced in mass-mediated paths as well (e.g. television news’ solicitations of user feedback via email). Perhaps more significant, however, is the degree to which productions emanating from the intermediate public invite further intermediate production. Intermediate production occurs in the intermediate public; communicative actions emerging from the intermediate public do not simply represent sophisticated forms of feedback, but rather attempts of individuals to become constituent components of the public communication process. In the following sections, the internal dynamics and processes of each level will be examined in more depth.

The Struggle for Influence in the Networked Public

When viewed in its entirety, the public sphere (as modeled in levels of communicative activity in Figure 3.1) appears to be both an elitist and pluralist system. On the one hand, a limited stratum of elite public actors exists, whose actions guide, if not dominate, most public discourse; the vast majority of the public (i.e. the non-elite) engage in little to no communicative activity. On the other hand, this elite stratum is internally segmented and differentiated, with elite public actors emerging from a variety of contexts. Furthermore, communicative activities emerging from the intermediate public (as well as the institutions of civil society) create a seemingly endless stream of challenges and critiques of statements and actions of existing elite public actors, while simultaneously providing a potential springboard for putative elite actors. Thus, the public elite level of the public sphere is best understood as being an internally dynamic and competitive arena in which actors vie for the public’s attention.21 Consistent with the multipolar approach to elite competition discussed in previous chapters, competition at this elite level of the public sphere primarily involves the struggle between actors for symbolic capital in various forms.

Specific to the realm of public communication, elite public actors seek to possess influence by being recognized by the public as being influential.22 As a function both of natural talents and previous competitive behaviors, some actors and institutions have a greater capacity to affect public opinions than others;

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