Just a little over ten years ago, the first website became accessible to the public and even though
the World Wide Web of today is still in its teens, it has become a phenomenon of virtually global
impact. By the mid 1990s, people started to discover the joys of online communication via socalled
weblogs or blogs, but blogs really evolved at the turn of the millennium, when the
international blogosphere virtually exploded. Anyone could create one, anyone could participate
in one, and everyone had at least heard of one. Blogs revolutionized online communication by
creating worldwide communities of technology nerds, ambitious writers, and simply those who
found an outlet for their exhibitionist tendencies.
Decades earlier, in 1981, renowned German philosopher and sociological theorist Jürgen
Habermas published his seminal work Theory of Communicative Action, in which he formulates
a theoretical framework for societal progress achieved through communication.
In the United States of today, progress and the means of communication are inherently White, in
fact knowledge and societal power are White. This research is designed to look at the question of
democratic empowerment among the Latino minority, this is, whether weblogs provide the
Latino immigrant community with means to connect, exchange information, and thus gain social
and political influence by the power of knowledge. Is it possible for Latinos in the U.S. to use the
medium of weblogs according to Habermas’ theory and change the distribution of knowledge and
power in American society?
Habermas’ approach will be described as the theoretical framework for this research paper. It will
then be determined how the Latino community in the U.S. could or could not use the weblog as a
tool of empowerment.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- What are Weblogs?
- Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action
- How Can Then Weblogs Promote Public Discourse?
- Communicative Action in a Real Life Setting
- The Ideal Speech Situation in Real Life
- Equal Accessibility to Create and Participate
- Absence of Power Differences
- Truthfulness
- Weblogs and Immigrant Communities in the U.S.
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This research paper aims to explore the potential of weblogs as tools of democratic empowerment for the Latino community in the United States. It examines whether weblogs can provide Latinos with the means to connect, exchange information, and gain social and political influence through the power of knowledge.
- The role of weblogs in promoting public discourse and social change
- Habermas' theory of communicative action and its application to online communication
- The potential of weblogs to empower marginalized communities
- The challenges faced by Latinos in accessing and utilizing weblogs
- The impact of weblogs on the distribution of knowledge and power in American society
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic of weblogs and their potential for empowering the Latino community in the United States. It also provides a brief overview of Habermas' theory of communicative action, which will serve as the theoretical framework for the paper.
- What are Weblogs?: This chapter explores the definition and characteristics of weblogs, highlighting their evolution from personal diaries to more professional information platforms. It also discusses the growing use of weblogs by various groups, including professionals and marginalized communities.
- Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action: This chapter provides a summary of Habermas' theory of communicative action, focusing on his concepts of instrumental action, strategic action, and communicative action. It emphasizes the importance of communicative rationality for societal progress.
- How Can Then Weblogs Promote Public Discourse?: This chapter examines how weblogs can facilitate communicative action in a real-life setting, exploring the concept of the ideal speech situation and its relevance to online communication. It also discusses the challenges of achieving equal accessibility, absence of power differences, and truthfulness in online discourse.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This research paper focuses on weblogs, communicative action, democratic empowerment, Latino community, social and political influence, online communication, and the distribution of knowledge and power in American society.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2005, Empowering Latinos. Weblogs as Tools of Democracy in the United States, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/153857
