Abstract
This chapter introduces the framework of the book and discusses its central concepts: datafication and publics. The chapter lays out the conjunctures of a technological drama, with a rise and fall narrative regarding processes of public formation in datafied societies. The drama stages three characters: a victim, in the form of the passive, defenceless public; a villain, Big Tech; and a hero, journalism. The chapter argues that the drama needs to be challenged by theoretical and empirical research. We suggest the notion of datapublics as a lens to investigate how publics are constructed at the junction of journalistic media, technological infrastructures and agentic citizens.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Datapublics : The construction of publics in datafied democracies |
| Editors | Jannie Møller Hartley, Jannick Kirk Sørensen, David Mathieu |
| Publisher | Policy Press/Bristol University Press |
| Publication date | 31 Jul 2023 |
| Pages | 1-24 |
| Chapter | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1529228625 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-1529228649 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Jul 2023 |