“The term ‘public opinion’ refers to the functions of criticism and control of organized state authority that the public exercises informally, as well as formally during periodic elections” (Habermas).
Blogs can be seen as the newest exercise of public opinion, both formal and informal. Many blogs critique the political process and attempt to assert some measure of control by making sure information is presented in a public forum instead of being swept aside and forgotten.
“Whereas mere opinions (things taken for granted as part of a culture, normative convictions, collective prejudices and judgments) seem to persist unchanged in their quasi-natural structure as a kind of sediment of history, public opinion, in terms of its very idea, can be formed only if a public that engages in rational discussion exists” (Habermas).
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