The Gig Public - by Slavko Splichal (Paperback)

About the Book

The book introduces the concept of the "gig public" to reimagine the public's role in societies increasingly shaped by the dynamics of surveillance capitalism and algorithmic governance, reaffirming foundational critical sociological approaches--particularly its habitual and contractual roots--that are often overlooked by traditional public sphere theories.

Book Synopsis

Explores the rise of the "gig public" in the age of performative publicness, highlighting challenges in sustaining meaningful discourse, the impact of new technologies and AI on public engagement, and the emergence of the will to visibility within the context of capitalism and algorithmic governmentality.

This monograph explores the evolving nature of publicness in the era of digital communication and social media saturation, arguing that the rise of the "gig public" represents a new paradigm that challenges the traditional conceptualization of the public in shaping social and political change. The gig public departs from traditional notions of publicness and the public, characterized by individuals' spontaneous and less-structured engagement in public discourse. This engagement is often hampered by challenges in fostering sustained interaction and depth of discussion, due to the ephemeral nature of online interactions.
In particular, this monograph highlights the importance of customs, negotiations, and contracts that complement the normatively privileged public reasoning in public domains. It examines the transformations in the multifaceted nature of the public and its interrelationship with other social structures amid the shifting boundaries between public and private domains. In addition, it explores the evolution of conceptualizations of publicness and related concepts within critical theory, illustrating how contemporary shifts are redefining civic engagement and the essence of public life in a rapidly changing world. From these perspectives, the study is structured around three primary focal points: First, it analyzes how new information technologies and AI have altered human interactions within the public sphere. Second, it examines the impact of capitalist economic dynamics and governmentality strategies on reshaping the public realm, fundamentally altering the essence of the public and its democratic potential. Third, it explores how habitual and routine practices traditionally associated with the private sphere are now influencing the ongoing evolution of publicness.
The monograph aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges posed by the fragmentation of contemporary public discourse and the emergence of gig publics. It also considers strategies to invigorate publicness through AI technology that enables users to transform plain language into automated actions on their computers, potentially reshaping civic engagement in the digital age.

Review Quotes

For properly understanding today's Öffentlichkeit one needs to read Slavko Splichal's works. Splichal has over decades made key contributions to the critical analysis of publicness. His new work analyses publicness in the age of AI. He shows how driven by digital capitalism, surveillance and AI, the emerging gig public colonises the reasoned public. An excellent and highly insightful book that is an essential reading for everyone wanting to critically understand the society we live in. -- Professor Christian Fuchs, author of Digital Capitalism; Social Media: A Critical Introduction; and Media, Economy and Society: A Critical Introduction.

Democracies are secured by citizens openly deliberating on government decisions and policies based on the verifiable information, comprehensive analysis and rigorous questioning provided by the public media. In this brilliant intervention, organised around an instantly memorable metaphor, Slavko Splichal explores what happens when the press and broadcasting are replaced by online platforms assembling temporary, mutable audiences for political performances where deliberation is trumped by presentation and presentation and interaction are increasing organised by artificial intelligence. Grounded in an unrivalled knowledge of European writings on publics and publicness, often missed or misunderstood in Anglo-American analysis, his interrogation of the current transformation and its possible futures is an essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of deliberative democracy. -- Graham Murdock, Emeritus Professor of Culture and Economy, Institute for Creative Futures, Loughborough University, London, UK.

Splichal has written a sweeping, incisive and learned book about the changing conditions of publicity and influence in the digital society. His notion of 'gig public' deserves close attention. It perceptively captures essential dynamics of contemporary public life - fragmentation, performativity and ephemeral visibility and engagement, shaped by the domination of digital corporations and algorithmic logic. -- Silvio Waisbord, Professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.

Slavko Splichal offers an important conceptual contribution by introducing the concept of the gig public to make sense of contemporary shifts in understanding publicness, the public and public sphere in a society increasingly dominated by platforms and AI. In doing so, he also points to ways to reinvigorate democratic empowerment and strengthen publicness. - Bart Cammaerts, London School of Economics and Political Science.

This is a much-needed critical discussion of generative AI's power and impact on public communication and democratic participation. While the academic community is still reeling from the sudden availability of AI applications for public and professional use, Slavko Splichal begins to think systematically about how to make sense of the emerging forms of publicness illustrating the radical shift from newspaper readers to gig publics and raising awareness of the far-reaching implications for democracy. - Hans-Jӧrg Trenz, Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication, Scuola Normale Superiore, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 Firenze Italy.

Adroitly articulated and keenly observed, Professor Splichal's timely book is a sobering account of the changing nature of 'publicness' in an age of AI.' --Daya Thussu, Professor of International, Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University

About the Author

Slavko Splichal is Professor of Communication and Public Opinion at the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Social Sciences.