How the Internet has Tansformed the Public Sphere Using Technology

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One of the most well known ideas in Chaos Theory is called the Butterfly Effect. Depending on initial conditions, the theory hypothesis that a small change in a system can lead to much larger effect after a chain of events. Therefore, it is perfectly possible that a cyclone in the US is caused by a butterfly’s flap of wings several weeks ago.

When Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in front of a Tunisian government building, no one would have predicted the chain reaction that ultimately led to the fall of governments in Tunisia and Egypt. However, as the young vegetable merchant’s story captured the attention of millions via social media platforms (e.g. YouTube, Facebook and Twitter), it unleashed the power of Internet on a scale that has never been seen before, which, in hindsight, perfectly resembled the Butterfly Effect. Research finds that not only has social media “played a central role in shaping political debate”, spikes in posts about the revolution also often “preceded major events on the ground” (Howard et al. 2011).

In fact, time after time, the Internet has been proven to be one of the most important places for people to freely express their ideas in both democratic and totalitarian countries. This essay is going to analyse how the Internet has transformed the public sphere using 21st century digital technologies, in order to prove that it has replaced traditional medias such as television and newspaper and become the new public sphere on many levels. It is important to note that this does not mean television and newspaper can no longer exist. Rather, they need to learn and adapt to this social medial age and provide more interactions with their audience online.

This essay is going to start with a look at histor...

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...4-01-15/burberry-sales-exceed-analysts-estimates-as-digital-outperforms.html>.

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Weber, Matt. "Harvard EdCast: EdX Marks the Spot." Harvard Graduate School of Education. N.p., 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Wolf, Asher. "Censorship in the Name of Protecting Children." ABC News. N.p., 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

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