Networked Publics: Exploring the Transformation of Social Interaction

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Networked Publics
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Introduction
Most of the sites of social network have recently found increased usage among the
children, adults and even the youth. These sites include Facebook, twitter, tinder, WhatsApp and
so on. They are mostly used for socializing purposes, sharing of information and even flirting.
Networked publics can always be defined as publics updated via networked technologies or
populations that have been restructured by a networked technology. They normally arise due to
the connectivity among technology people and also practice.1 The networked publics are similar
to other publics as they tend to play the same role as normal publics. Traditionally, public was
refers to a community of people. In my paper I intend to discuss and analyze networked publics
and discuss how it differs from the traditional notion the public.
Networked publics
Networked publics can be defined as a collection of populace who are linked mutually in
a more accessible way. This is made possible by the widely available and developed technology.
Communication barriers among the people are limited as they can easily communicate to each
across the globe despite their physical location.2They are linked through phones, computers and
any other form of technology which makes this connectivity possible. Social media platforms
also help to make this type of connectivity possible since there are applications within the social
media platforms like twitter, tinder which perform the functions of linking individuals despite
their physical location.
1 Baym & Danah "Socially mediated publicness: An introduction." 320-329.
2 Litt, "Knock, knock. Who's there? The imagined audience." 330-345.

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Normally, the networked publics sustain many practices just like unmediated publics do.
Unmediated publics are structured areas with boundaries. The unmediated publics can be taken
to be traditional publics as they are limited by barriers. The practices in networked publics are
inflected in exclusive ways compared to those of unmediated publics.3 This is due to the
existence of the structural difference between the two. Networked publics normally tend to
analyze and give an explanation as to how the both the cultural and even social relationships
have been modified by the existence of technology. Therefore it is important to note that
networked publics are not only publics that are networked together but are also publics that are
transformed by the networked media, the media’s potential and even its properties. The
properties of the networked media usually constitute the makeup of the public that is networked
and also make it possible for the introduction of new practices like growth of the social circle
through addition of friends and also carry out the function of shaping the interactions taking
place. They can always be referred to as a “code of law” in that they usually regulate the
emerging structures. However, the properties of the traditional publics do not make it possible
for introduction of new practices like increasing the social circle as it has limitations like barriers
due to distance. Interactions taking place between traditional publics are also fewer than the
interactions taking place in the networked publics.4
Networked publics’ structure
3 Xu and Miao. "Talking to the broadcasters on Twitter: Networked gatekeeping in
Twitter conversations with journalists."437.
4 Salah et al., "Combining cultural analytics and networks analysis: Studying a social
network site with user-generated content." 426.

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There are four properties which normally occur due to bits and they usually play a major
role in the formation or being part of the formation of the networked publics. The properties are
replicability, persistence, search ability and even scalability. Persistence usually means that the
expressions that are made online are usually recorded automatically and stored in the archives.
Replicability means that the contents within the social media could always be duplicated.
Scalability means that the potential of visibility of the contents in netted publics is usually great.
Finally search ability would mean that the contents in netted publics could always be found via
searching. The properties are usually codependent or mutually supportive of each other. They
usually play an important role in the production of three dynamics which shape the experience of
people regarding networked publics.5 The three dynamics usually include: collapsed contexts,
invincible audiences, and even blurring of the private and the public. Invincible audience
normally means that in most cases, not all users or friends are usually present or even visible
when an individual is commenting on the social media. On the other hand, collapsed contexts
mean that upholding social contexts is usually made difficult by the lack of temporal spatial and
even temporal boundaries. The blurring of the private and the public means that if the contexts of
the network of social media lack control, both the public and even the private might become
meaningless and it would be difficult to notice the difference among them. This is because they
would be balanced in completely new ways. Media usually play the role of reshaping the public
through the introduction of new properties to the surroundings of the public. In most cases, the
media usually serve the functions of amplification, spread of information and even recording the
actions of man. Traditional publics on the other hand lack properties like search ability. Large
5 Varnelis, Kazys. “Networked publics”.56.