A Triumph of Rhetoric over Practice? The 'Online Public Sphere' and Political Discourse in Ireland's General Election 2011

Abstract

A loud, optimistic fanfare has accompanied the greater circulation of information and opinion in the political sphere via 'new media', proclaiming the potential of such media, and online communications tools generally, to reactivate Habermas's public sphere in a new incarnation. The inherent promise of this is increased accountability from politicians and a consequent move towards greater democratisation. In Ireland, despite a proliferation of bespoke sites of online discourse, it is argued that much of this activity is not yet yielding new or encouraging patterns of involvement in the democratic process. Online interventions leading up to the general election of 2011 highlighted the nascent characteristics of new media interactions and undermined the contention that 'the new democratisation' might in turn have the power to alter an ingrained and lamentable political culture. Based on an examination of empirical data generated from interviews and a discourse analysis of election-themed websites, it is the contention of this paper that the deeper structures of the political milieu—particularly those concerning access, equity and accountability—have remained largely unaffected. In addition, it is evident that the online spaces are rapidly being 'colonised' by corporate actors. The websites under scrutiny were launched with great expectations that they would change political discourse, but so far these expectations remain largely unmet.