Can blogs function as rhetorical publics in Asian democracies? An analysis using the case of Singapore

Abstract

Social media platforms such as blogs have been said to improve and expand the potential of the Internet in enabling open access to political discourse. Yet several factors may undermine such potential, even in a place like Singapore, where Internet penetration and usage of social media are high. Participation remains fragmented, with certain groups more active than others, raising questions on the viability of the Internet as a public sphere. The context and conditions under which online publics function provide important basis for understanding the use of social media, yet this has often been overlooked. We examine the use of blogs in Singapore as sites for discursive exchanges, civic engagement, and community construction, and discuss the sustainability of blogs as multiple publics in a functioning Asian democracy.