Page 50 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Feasibility Study of New Media Technology
on Constructing Online Public Sphere

generic designation where ‘regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gath-

erings of individuals’ are hosted (ibid, p.16). It refers to physical spaces beyond the
realms of home and work, such as the German beer garden, Main Street, the English
pub, the French café, the American tavern and the Chinese teahouse. Freedom of as-
sociation and assembly in the third places are essential features that contribute to the
political process of a democracy (Tai, 2006).

The internet, according to Tai (2006, p.169-171) was seen as the ‘fourth place’ for
the following reasons:
• It created a brand-new social space as opposed to the history of human com-

munication in the ‘third space’ and traditional media communication; new
communicative possibilities and new social relationships were cultivated.
• Internet-based communication extends beyond relations in the physical world
and redefines them. The internet is both informational and participational,
hence, it brings people together and invites the participation of those who

care.
• The internet as a social space has generated potential that no previous media
form was able to achieve, as it removes boundaries of time and geography in

terms of information sharing.
• The internet gathers people with diverse experience and arguments, which
accumulates the collective social capital. In return, it presents more opportu-
nities for public participation in new ways.
To better comprehend the internet as the fourth place, the distinctiveness of the

internet as a communication tool should be recognised. Because online relationships
are often born out of and complement offline connections, in some cases they can lead
to fresh relationships which would not be possible in the physical world, and in other

cases they reinforce offline relationships (Tai, 2006, p.171). The socialising effect of the
internet empowers Chinese people and affords them the opportunity to gather, to build
connections and to express themselves in various ways. It highlights the feasibility of
ICT-mediated public participation that would otherwise not be possible in the physical
third places.

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