The challenge to healthy public spheres of discourse in contemporary American society lies in large part with the domination of public discussion by professional communicators, thereby relegating everyday citizens to the private sphere and creating a communicative disconnect between citizens and their government. Yet, while the cacophony of professional communicators has muffled the sound of vernacular voices, it would be a mistake to assume that conversations of everyday citizens are not taking place. Vernacular voices are simply operating under the radar.
The media domination and professionalization of public discourse has caused everyday citizens to seek out non-traditional venues to discuss matters of public importance. The Internet appears to be one such venue. Through an investigation of politically-focused interactive discussion forums, this project seeks to explore the Internet as a venue for vernacular voices to more fully participate in public spheres of discourse and, thereby, more fully engage in the democratic process.","abstract_html":"This project considers the ways in which ordinary citizens engage in public discourse. This work is guided by what Michael Schudson calls the triumph of democratic sensibilities--the expectation that everybody owns public life. A politically active citizenry is, therefore, vital to a healthy democracy. Further, this inquiry assumes a rhetorical view of civic engagement, arguing that participation in a democracy is more than merely casting one's vote. Consequently, it is essential to identify and evaluate the vehicles by which individual citizens can take part in discursive civic life.</p><p> The challenge to healthy public spheres of discourse in contemporary American society lies in large part with the domination of public discussion by professional communicators, thereby relegating everyday citizens to the private sphere and creating a communicative disconnect between citizens and their government. Yet, while the cacophony of professional communicators has muffled the sound of vernacular voices, it would be a mistake to assume that conversations of everyday citizens are not taking place. Vernacular voices are simply operating under the radar.</p><p> The media domination and professionalization of public discourse has caused everyday citizens to seek out non-traditional venues to discuss matters of public importance. The Internet appears to be one such venue. Through an investigation of politically-focused interactive discussion forums, this project seeks to explore the Internet as a venue for vernacular voices to more fully participate in public spheres of discourse and, thereby, more fully engage in the democratic process.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Schifino, Linda"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"PhD","degree_level":"Immediate Access","degree_discipline":"Communication and Rhetorical Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Calvin L. Troup","Kathleen Glenister Roberts","Richard H. Thames"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2006-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:10:29Z","subjects":["deliberative democracy","public discourse","public sphere","publics"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1153","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Calvin L. Troup","Kathleen Glenister Roberts","Richard H. Thames"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Schifino, Linda"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-08-03T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication and Rhetorical Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Immediate Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["deliberative democracy","public discourse","public sphere","publics"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1153"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This project considers the ways in which ordinary citizens engage in public discourse. This work is guided by what Michael Schudson calls the triumph of democratic sensibilities--the expectation that everybody owns public life. A politically active citizenry is, therefore, vital to a healthy democracy. Further, this inquiry assumes a rhetorical view of civic engagement, arguing that participation in a democracy is more than merely casting one's vote. Consequently, it is essential to identify and evaluate the vehicles by which individual citizens can take part in discursive civic life.
The challenge to healthy public spheres of discourse in contemporary American society lies in large part with the domination of public discussion by professional communicators, thereby relegating everyday citizens to the private sphere and creating a communicative disconnect between citizens and their government. Yet, while the cacophony of professional communicators has muffled the sound of vernacular voices, it would be a mistake to assume that conversations of everyday citizens are not taking place. Vernacular voices are simply operating under the radar.
The media domination and professionalization of public discourse has caused everyday citizens to seek out non-traditional venues to discuss matters of public importance. The Internet appears to be one such venue. Through an investigation of politically-focused interactive discussion forums, this project seeks to explore the Internet as a venue for vernacular voices to more fully participate in public spheres of discourse and, thereby, more fully engage in the democratic process."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Engaging Vernacular Voices: Exploring Online Public Spheres of Discourse for Everyday Citizens"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Calvin L. Troup","Kathleen Glenister Roberts","Richard H. Thames"],"dc:creator":["Schifino, Linda"],"dc:date.available":["2018-08-03T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This project considers the ways in which ordinary citizens engage in public discourse. This work is guided by what Michael Schudson calls the triumph of democratic sensibilities--the expectation that everybody owns public life. A politically active citizenry is, therefore, vital to a healthy democracy. Further, this inquiry assumes a rhetorical view of civic engagement, arguing that participation in a democracy is more than merely casting one's vote. Consequently, it is essential to identify and evaluate the vehicles by which individual citizens can take part in discursive civic life.
The challenge to healthy public spheres of discourse in contemporary American society lies in large part with the domination of public discussion by professional communicators, thereby relegating everyday citizens to the private sphere and creating a communicative disconnect between citizens and their government. Yet, while the cacophony of professional communicators has muffled the sound of vernacular voices, it would be a mistake to assume that conversations of everyday citizens are not taking place. Vernacular voices are simply operating under the radar.
The media domination and professionalization of public discourse has caused everyday citizens to seek out non-traditional venues to discuss matters of public importance. The Internet appears to be one such venue. Through an investigation of politically-focused interactive discussion forums, this project seeks to explore the Internet as a venue for vernacular voices to more fully participate in public spheres of discourse and, thereby, more fully engage in the democratic process."],"dc:identifier":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1153"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["deliberative democracy","public discourse","public sphere","publics"],"dc:title":["Engaging Vernacular Voices: Exploring Online Public Spheres of Discourse for Everyday Citizens"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication and Rhetorical Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Immediate Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:10:29Z"}