The challenges of the habermasian public sphere in times of post-truth and algorithms

Abstract

This article examines the contemporary challenges facing the public sphere, emphasizing the impact of Big Tech and its algorithms in constructing non-factual truths that undermine democracy. Initially, the text recalls the historical foundations of the bourgeois public sphere, which facilitated the gathering of individual demands and the formation of a critical space. However, with the rise of teleological social media and consumer passivity, algorithms have begun to filter tastes and preferences, co-opting dialogue in favor of market interests. The analysis then highlights the negative transformation of the critical sphere, which becomes co-opted and depoliticized, ultimately losing its ability to regulate conflicts and its normative foundation, as it is infiltrated by power and dominated by mass media. The study also discusses the fragmentation resulting from post-truth and fake news, which distort facts and segment speech circuits, operating as perlocutionary instruments within the framework of capital accumulation. Finally, the article reflects on Habermasian radical democracy, suggesting that this model can support the reconstruction of the public sphere in new terms, thereby restoring essential democratic principles. This debate underscores the need for innovative strategies to regenerate public space.