The Twisted Logic of Social Media

Jürgen Habermas, the important German sociologist and philosopher, has, apparently, started to tweet (@jhabermas). Whether it's the real Habermas or a Habermas groupie is hard to say. But, as the most recent series of tweets from the Habermas feed suggests, it may not matter:

It's true that the internet has reactivated the grassroots of an egalitarian public sphere of writers and readers.. | It also counterbalances the deficits from the impersonal and asymmetrical character of broadcasting insofar as... | it reintroduces deliberative elements in communication. Besides that, it can undermine the censorship of authoritarian regimes... | But the rise of millions of fragmented discussions across the world tend instead to lead to fragmentation of audiences into isolated publics....

As for me, when it comes to philosophizing I'm partial to the more homegrown, colloquial style of Becker Fagan (or is it Fagan Becker?).

I have never met Napoleon,
   But I plan to find the time
I have never met Napoleon,
   But I plan to find the time. Yes, I do.
'Cause he looked so fine upon that hill,
   They tell me he was lonely,
   He's lonely still.
Those days are gone forever,
   Over a long time ago...

Oh, yeah.

-- Mitch Nauffts

Comments

[Bruce Trachtenberg]

Your riffing on Napoleon on the hill made me think of the populist philosopher Napoleon Hill, of Think and Grow Rich, fame.