Data Activism in Light of the Public Sphere

The spaces for dialogue, consensus and networked action generated by proactive data activists with the purpose of producing diagnosis and solutions to social problems can be theorized as a revision of the public sphere, conceived as an ideal place where people congregate to communicate as equals. Proactive data activism –a new phenomenon in the field of action enabled by software and data infrastructure– presents opportunities for social engagement as data analysis empower people so they can sit at the decision-making table of the new ‘alternative digital public spheres.’ However, employing Dean’s conceptualization of the ‘neodemocracies’, data activism imposes three tensions on the concept of the public sphere: site, telos and vehicle. Based on empirical observation and case studies, this article analyses how these tensions reshape the public sphere; ultimately, it seeks to ascertain what is left of the public sphere in the big data society.
The spaces for dialogue, consensus and networked action generated by proactive data activists with the purpose of producing diagnosis and solutions to social problems can be theorized as a revision of the public sphere, conceived as an ideal place where people congregate to communicate as equals. Proactive data activism –a new phenomenon in the field of action enabled by software and data infrastructure– presents opportunities for social engagement as data analysis empower people so they can sit at the decision-making table of the new ‘alternative digital public spheres.’ However, employing Dean’s conceptualization of the ‘neodemocracies’, data activism imposes three tensions on the concept of the public sphere: site, telos and vehicle. Based on empirical observation and case studies, this article analyses how these tensions reshape the public sphere; ultimately, it seeks to ascertain what is left of the public sphere in the big data society.