Discussing readings

I found Fuchs' chapter 8 discussing Twitter and whether or not it is a public sphere very interesting. He argues that Twitter is not truly a pubic sphere because everyone is not included in it's user population and because he believes Twitter's users are exploited. He also argues that social media does not cause revolution or protests. As an avid Twitter user, I have to disagree with what Fuchs says. I believe that Twitter is a public sphere. Although everyone is not a Twitter user and the majority of Twitter users are from a specific demographic, Twitter is a space that is open to the public. Twitter may be used for entertainment purposes more than political, but that doesn't mean that the political use of Twitter isn't impactful. Currently, and especially a few months ago when the Black Lives Matter movement was at it's peak, Twitter--specifically "Black Twitter" was in an uproar and their were streams of tweets from thousands of people specifically discussing the movement, issues within and outside the Black community, what needs to be done to combat police brutality against colored people, reparations, etc. every day. I witness debates about this, as well as other movements and current events happening every day. There are people on Twitter who basically dedicate their entire account to social-political discussion and many of these people have thousands of followers which sparks debate amongst a large number of Twitter users.

Also, Twitter is a public sphere because the information shared can be used as an alternative news source. There have been times when I found out about events happening because it was on Twitter, but it was not mentioned on the news at all, or it is discussed on Twitter before any news platforms discuss it--for example, the shooting death of unarmed teen Antonio Martin. Although I agree with Fuchs that social media does not cause revolution or protest, I would argue that is can motivate people who are already in such a mind frame to organize. It can also be used to persuade more people to support a cause and join protests that are already going on. I've seen this happen.

So, basically I conclude that Twitter is a public sphere.