Abstract

The concept of ‘global public spheres’ arose at the beginning of the 21st century as new communication technologies matured. Sparks (2001) pointed out that the Internet prompts the dissemination of traditional media content across the borders of nations. Volkmer (2003) stressed the significant impact of satellite television channels such as CNN International and Al Jazeera on the flow of political information. The infrastructure of these new media allows an eyewitness view of events taking place in local contexts to spread globally, and shapes a politically relevant ‘global’ public sphere, even it is divergent and originating from different viewpoints. Castells (2008) also pointed out that the global networks connected by communication technologies shape the new public sphere, as the space of debate on public affairs, so that the debate progresses from the national to the global. Accordingly, this prompts a conversation between global governments and global civil societies.