从结构转型到结构新转型——对哈贝马斯数字时代公共领域理论的反思

From Structural Transformation to New Structural Transformation:Reflection on the Public Sphere Theory of Habermas in the Digital Age

“公共领域”是哈贝马斯政治哲学中的一个核心概念,因其结构与传媒所具有的合理性、平等性以及开放性,被看作是公众发表、交流政治意见进而实现民主政治的重要场域。数字媒介的发展对公共领域的结构变化产生了显著影响,它既创造了媒体用户自我赋权的效果,同时也离散了公众达成一致判断的潜力。然而,由于哈贝马斯对数字化改变媒体结构所持的乐观姿态,使他错失了对隐藏在自由交流背后的深层控制与霸权实质的揭示。实际上,协商民主在数字化进程中所遭遇的新困境,是人们无法回避且必须正视的新课题。

The″public sphere″is a central concept in Habermas′political philosophy and is seen as an important field for the public to express and exchange political opinions and thus achieve democratic politics,due to its structure and the rational,egalitarian and open nature of the media.The development of digital media has had a significant impact on the structural changes in the public sphere,creating both the effect of self-empowerment of media users and the potential for discrete publics to reach consensus judgements.However,Habermas′optimistic posture towards the digitally altered media structures has led him to miss the revelation of the deeper substance of control and hegemony that lies behind free communication.Indeed,the new dilemma encountered by deliberative democracy in the process of digitalization is a new issue that cannot be avoided and must be confronted.