Apathetic ‘Public’ Turns Participatory: Dynamics & Implications

Participatory public is an essential condition for the success of a democratic system. The definition and nature of ‘public’ has remained consistently under transformation from a non-participatory status to an active and participatory one. Owing to various historical developments the Greek participatory public turned into a mere spectator. The lost powers of the ‘public’ were regained by bourgeois public of private citizens; however citizens again became mere spectators as a result of various developments. The contemporary communication technologies led globalization has offered fresh prospects for the revival of the nature and role of the ‘public’ in a democratic system. These developments are shaping a ‘new public’ that is participatory and global in character. This article juxtaposes the findings from various theoretical contributions and traces the rise of the ‘new public’ and strives to substantiate it with empirical evidence.