| The goals of this project are two-fold. First, using social media as a "case study" of sorts, I argue that space matters for democratic politics. Far from value-neutral sites of activity, the spaces of democratic life both condition and are conditioned by political activity. They are deliberately designed and built, in other words, with different biases and incentives. In articulating a political theory of space, then, I mean to provide a set of criteria with which we can understand and evaluate the spaces of our daily life in light of their political potential. Political spaces, I argue, should exhibit a balance of focus, boundedness, and flexibility .;The second, and perhaps more controversial, claim of this project is that social media sites should be understood as (potential) political spaces in their own right, and not merely as tools for organizing and mobilizing in more traditional, physical spaces. As sites where users raise, discuss, cooperate on, and contest the problems that arise from sharing space with one another, these can be robust sites for political activity. With this in mind, we should turn our efforts to building and maintaining political spaces in this environment, harnessing the new means and methods provided by social media technologies for democratic ends. Despite radical changes since the turn of the 20th century, my hope is that one thing becomes clear: space matters. If we are to succeed in building and maintaining robust political life in the 21st century and beyond, then, we must start by bringing the site back in. |
