Interrogating and Reimagining the Virtual Public Sphere in Developing Countries

Abstract

Revisiting the concept of a virtual public sphere, this chapter interrogates the concepts of good governance, digital divide, the role of culture in identifying what constitutes common good and examines how Habermas' conceptualization of the public sphere relates to non-Western contexts where asymmetries in access to basic resources, power to leverage networks, and levels of civic competencies are the norm. Through case studies from Bangalore City, India, where information and communication technologies are being used to empower ordinary citizens to participate in local governance in the face of deep digital divides, it is argued that there is a need to avoid essentialising and privileging online venues and interactions in our discussions of the virtual public sphere and study how people strategically combine preexisting civic and communication networks with the affordances of new media technologies to participate as citizens.