EP 02 The Personalized Public Sphere with Fred Turner

In this episode, Sage, Hanna and Julius hear from Stanford Professor Fred Turner about how personalization and commercial platforms have corrupted the “public sphere.” Fred traces the historical roots of the fantasy of a global connected conversation system back to post-WWII scientists, critiques the techno-utopianism of Silicon Valley, and underscores the importance of institutions and regulation for breaking up companies that would otherwise destroy public goods. He reminds us of the power of in-person organizing and solidarity to resist authoritarianism.

Key Takeaways from Fred:

1. Personalization and profit-driven platforms killed the public sphere - When debate is about who you are as a person not how to distribute resources, rational deliberation becomes impossible
2. Tech companies are terrified of regulation for a reason - Their fear is a measure of our power. We've broken up extractive industries before, and legislated safety. We can build seat belts.
3. Online attention is not action - Stop circulating “misery porn.” Hard, dull in-person work builds the solidarity, trust, and friendships that create change

Find out more about:

• Fred Turner
• His books: Echoes of Combat, From Counterculture to Cyberculture, Seeing Silicon Valley, The Democratic Surround
• His Texan Ideology article 

Some of this episode's texts :

• Habermas, Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
• Murrow “Wires and Lights in a Box”
• Mcluhan The Global Village
• Barthe's “exnomination” Mythologies used by Stuart Hall 
• Benkler Wealth of Networks
• Sharp and Jenkin Fighting Tyranny
• hooks' Oppositional Gaze 

Fred’s Media Diet:

• Main: Times, Post, Guardian, Fox News, CNN, WSJ, Portland Press Herald, MDI

This podcast is part of CAPT’s efforts to encourage open and diverse intellectual exchange. The ideas presented by individuals on the podcast are their own and do not represent Purdue University, which adheres to a policy of institutional neutrality.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Send us feedback to captivatedpod@gmail.com