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Book chapter
New Media and Old Coffee: How Local Styles of Town Hall Meetings Reconfigure a Dialectical Tradition
Local Theories of Argument, pp.362-370
Routledge, 1
2021
Abstract
Contemporary American town hall meetings are steeped in the Athenian notion of civic engagement as a hallmark of deliberative democracy. New media offer unprecedented interactivity and can enhance democratic dialogue. Deluca and Peeples assert that the face-to-face conception of public sphere limits our understanding about what constitutes political activity and citizenship. Constituents in both parties have reported a noticeable decline in town hall meetings and an increased secrecy about the time and locations of events that legislators hold. Avoidance tactics include releasing meeting announcements at the last minute, scheduling small rooms and inconvenient times, prohibiting signs bigger than a sheet of notebook paper, and holding Facebook and tele-town halls screened by operators. In exchange for appearing before them and listening, members cultivate the persuasive tool of ethos, building trust in order to ask for their voting support. New technologies now allow members connectivity without the uncertainty and hassle of face-to-face meetings.
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Details
- Title
- New Media and Old Coffee
- Edition
- 1
- Publication Details
- Local Theories of Argument, pp.362-370
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Publisher
- Routledge; London
- Identifiers
- 99381399393406600
- Academic Unit
- Communication; College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities; Kugelman Honors Program
- Language
- English