Public opinion and cyberspace: a reflection about their potentialities and boundaries

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of the Internet on the public sphere and public opinion with reference to the most widely accepted conceptualizations of the public and public opinion. The first part reconstructs summarily concepts of the public, the public sphere and citizenship; against the background of these categories, the second part makes the potentialities and boundaries of the World Wide Web regarding the public and the public sphere in general and the public opinion in particular. While the Internet allows for greater equality and a more horizontal communication between connected persons, does not involve a substantial change to the ways of functioning of the public sphere, characterized by competition and conflict generated due to the constitution of public opinion.