On the role of the public sphere in the EU’s anticipated digital 'acquis'

Abstract

It is widely held that with its new generation of digital regulation the EU is moving beyond a purely economic philosophy and towards a more comprehensive societal approach that places greater emphasis on values and public interest, a shift reflected in narratives of growing European ‘digital constitutionalism’. Exploring a specific element of this shift, I employ a model of the digital public sphere to assess the EU’s anticipated digital acquis as regards threats to democratic participation and engagement posed by the digital transformation. In doing so, I further attempt to render visible and address some of the major challenges facing the analytical framework of the public sphere in a context in which digital infrastructure, services and, in turn online public communication, are so dependent on mediation by private intermediaries.