A RING OF FIRE? DIGITALLY MEDIATED PUBLICS IN COPENHAGEN ROAD PRICING

CONTROVERSY

ANDREAS BIRKBAK

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1. Pub l i cs?

2. D ig i ta l l y med ia ted?

3. Copenhagen road p r i c ing con t rove rsy?

4. A research agenda?

Outline

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Us ing l i nk ana lys i s to map ac to rs in ’ ho t s i tua t ions ’ (Ca l lon 1998)

Background: Digital mapping of controversies

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3. ...in the Copenhagen road pricing controversy

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1. Digitally mediated publics?

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What do soc ia l med ia have t o do w i t h pub l ics ?

Is i t no t a r a the r pr iva te sp here ?

” t he c i t i zen engages and i s enab led po l i t i ca l l y t h rough a p r i va te med ia env i ronmen t l oca ted w i t h i n t he i nd i v idua l ’s pe rsona l and p r i va te space ”

(Papachar i ss i 2010 :131)

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- o r d i s t r i bu ted i ssue publ ics?

”Acknowledg ing the ro le tha t the prob lems tha t a f fec t peop le p lay in b r ing ing po l i t i cs about does no t mean the end o f democracy, bu t i t s beg inn ing . ”

(Mar res 2005 :217)

1. Digitally mediated publics?

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From ’d ig i ta l l y med ia ted ’ to ’ d ig i ta l methods ’?• ’Mediated ’ sugges ts tha t the ca tegory o f ’ a pub l i c ’ i s a s tab le

en t i t y, de f ined by soc ia l t heory.• However, p ragmat i s t th inkers l i ke John Dewey (and now Noor t je

Mar res ) have a rgued tha t abs t rac t ca tegor ies a re o f l i t t l e consequence .

• ’Methods ’ sugges ts to i ns tead see tha t d ig i ta l too ls cons tan t l y do ’ l i ve soc ia l research ’ (Mar res & Wel tev rede 2013)

• For example , count ing and v i sua l i z ing .

• Fo l low ing th i s l og ic , ’ us ing ’ d ig i ta l methods means to acknowledge and reappropr ia te ’ na t i ve ’ ana ly t i ca l moves fo r soc ia l research .

• In p rac t i ce a l l methods are ’pa r t appara tus , par t ob jec t ’ ( i b id . :23)

2. Digitally mediated publics?

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Newspapers as a con t ras t : The pub l i c tha t ca l l s i t se l f a publ ic?

The ’schoo l o f deba te and c r i t i que ’ a t Po l i t i ken enro l l s 150 young peop le fo r one semes te r.

”e t kva l i te t sp ro jek t [om] deba t ten derude i vo res demokra t i ” - Bo L idegaard , ed i to r -i n -ch ie f , Po l i t i ken

1. Digitally mediated publics?

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Possible intervention: The Facebook issue space?

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A prax iography o f pub l i cs (Mo l 2002) : S tudy ing how pub l i cs a re done i n mu l t i p le , co -ex is t i ng , over lapp ing, mate r ia l ways? ( In o rder to avo id leav ing the ques t ion o f pub l i cs to po l i t i ca l ph i l osophy)

S tudy ing the object : I ssues• What connec t ions were made and no t made when the road p r i c ing

con t roversy p layed i t se l f ou t i n Po l i t i ken and on Facebook pages? How d id these assemblages ach ieve ’ pub l i c i t y ’?

S tudy ing the apparatus : Med ia techno log ies• How does Po l i t i ken and Facebook work as ’ l i ve research methods ’?

How do they ana l yze the i r own p rac t i ces? How can I reappropr ia te tha t fo r my p rax iography?

4. A research agenda?

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