The Journal of Media Literacy's "Democracy by Collision or Connection? The Crisis of the Public Commons" is out now! This JML issue is dedicated to the crisis of the public commons, its implications, and how it is addressed across different spheres and contexts. The myriads of articles submitted for this issue reflect multiple perspectives on the notion of “commons” and the … [Read more...] about Public Commons Issue Out Now!
Public Commons
Media Literacy’s Role in Preserving and Redefining the Public Commons
When our editorial committee started planning for this issue, we were pondering how to address the extreme polarization we were seeing in the U.S. election campaign. In 2024, at least 64 countries were holding elections, highlighting the variety and fragility of democracy around the globe. Online digital spaces complicate the traditional concept of the town square in which … [Read more...] about Media Literacy’s Role in Preserving and Redefining the Public Commons
Holding space for the commons
It is remarkable how much can change in a short period. When we embarked on this special issue, we were tasked with finding a manner to articulate a place of commonality in what appeared to be a very polarized public sphere, especially in the United States. So, rather than directly taking on polarization or even echo chambers, we moved the conversation towards articulating … [Read more...] about Holding space for the commons
Transforming the Public Commons in the Age of Intelligent Machines
Abstract The essence of the public commons can be traced from the ancient agora or forum which were physical places through technological transformations to digital spaces that have no" there" there but may exist in the "cloud" or exist as part of global outreach of ever-expanding media capabilities that are able to bring millions together all at once with no one ever having … [Read more...] about Transforming the Public Commons in the Age of Intelligent Machines
