Intermedia Mobility in the Public Sphere Framing Bikesharing in Mass Media and Social Media across Three Cultures Dirk von Schneidemesser Dissertation submitted to the Hertie School of Governance in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor rerum politicarum (Dr. rer. pol.) in the Doctoral Programme in Governance Berlin, 2017 First advisor Prof. Dr. Andrea Römmele Hertie School of Governance Second advisor Prof. Dr. Barbara Pfetsch Freie Universität Berlin © 2017 Dirk von Schneidemesser No further reproduction or distribution is allowed without explicit permission. Abstract Accompanying developments in communication technologies and practices, new possibilities emerge for actors to participate in public debate on political issues. While the influence of traditional mass media on public opinion formation processes in the public sphere has been firmly established, the rise of digital media adds complexity to communication processes that are only beginning to be understood. This research aims to add to the understanding of how social media contributes to the normative goals of the public sphere. Much of the research at the nexus of digital media and the public sphere focuses on extraordinary issues or events such as revolutions or electoral politics, leaving a gap as to how everyday political issues are discussed and debated in a hybrid media context. This research addresses that gap by examining a non- sensational policy issue – bikesharing – in two public sphere arenas. Quantitative and qualitative content analyses of print media and Twitter texts are applied to compare and contrast these two mediums across three cases. This comparative approach using the German, North American, and Spanish cases offers insight into the role of social media in different traditional media systems. The findings indicate that while framing of the issue of bikesharing in print media is commonly reflected on Twitter, the reverse is seldom the case. Frame and issue spill-over from Twitter to print media was only found in the North American case, where the meaning of bikesharing represents the largest departure from the status-quo. Political and cultural contextual factors led print media frames to go unchallenged on Twitter in the Spanish case and the debate was channeled through a stronger political logic in the German case. There was an observed preference for obtrusive issue attributes when legitimizing positions for or against bikesharing on Twitter, suggesting a bias for experience-based rationale on that medium. Social media does not have a unified effect on the legitimacy and efficacy of the public sphere, rather political and cultural factors influence the role of social media in public debate as well as the efficacy of social media to help impact political decisions. ii For Mike iii Acknowledgements This project would never have gotten off the ground, the research never carried out, and the project certainly never concluded had it not been for the encouragement, inspiration, and reassurance of so many people I had the pleasure of encountering along the way, and indeed long before I even knew what a dissertation was. I am extremely lucky to have had so much support from so many different people, and for that I am deeply grateful. Thanks goes to my first supervisor Andrea Römmele for giving me the room to work and think independently but also knowing when and how to ask the right questions to keep the research moving in the right direction. I am also grateful for the encouragement of my second advisor Barbara Pfetsch, whose colloquium provided a great space to gather input and sort ideas. I would also like to express thanks to Hans-Peter Meister, Henning Banthien, and Christian Klasen of IFOK, whose generosity enabled this research project. I had a great office mate, and a great hallway crew too for smiles and solidarity. A great debt of gratitude goes to my fellow researchers and students whose curiosity and enthusiasm provided me with exchanges of the most important kind when stuck deep in a long research process, as well as the reassuring knowledge that there are other people like me out there, and that’s all right. Cheers Herr Ross, you saw that it was time for me to take this step, and you were right. I wouldn’t be here without your specific encouragement to do specifically this. To the Radentscheiders, you all provided me with proof that the way we talk about our cities matters, which in turn confirmed that this project looks at arenas that shape the world we live in. Thanks also to the Ikarians, who always had something tasty and nutritious on the stove when I didn’t make it to the store before it closed. I could never find the words to express my profound appreciation for my family. I am forever in awe that they provide love and support in a way that makes me know it’s ok if I can’t find those words. Lastly, I would like to express deep gratitude to Angelica, who always believed in me, even when I didn’t. iv The Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iv The Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... x The Figures ................................................................................................................................................... xi The Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................... xii 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. The Structure of the Dissertation ................................................................................................. 2 1.2. The Theory: Traditional Media, Digital Media, and the Public Sphere ......................................... 3 1.3. The Cases and Constants .............................................................................................................. 5 1.3.1. The Example Discourse: Bikesharing - A Local Policy Issue................................................... 5 1.3.2. The Case Cultures .................................................................................................................. 7 1.4. The Mediums ................................................................................................................................ 8 1.5. The Research Question and Research Relevance ......................................................................... 8 1.6. The Method................................................................................................................................. 10 2. Media and the Public Sphere .............................................................................................................. 12 2.1. Civil Society & the Public Sphere ................................................................................................ 13 2.1.1. Structure: Citizenship, Participation, and the Public Sphere .............................................. 15 2.1.2. Alternative Conceptions of Citizenship Impacting the Structure of the Public Sphere ...... 16 2.1.3. The All Affected Principle as the basis for Public Sphere Participation .............................. 18 2.2. Media and the Public Sphere ...................................................................................................... 19 2.2.1. The Local is embedded in the Global .................................................................................. 20 2.2.2. The Public Sphere for Cities and Local Policy ...................................................................... 23 2.2.3. Deliberative Public Sphere Theory for Local Policy Spaces ................................................. 23 2.3. Social Media’s Contribution to a Democratic Public Sphere ...................................................... 24 2.3.1. Media and the Status Quo .................................................................................................. 25 2.3.2. Barriers to Entry in the Public Sphere ................................................................................. 27 2.3.3. The Digital Public Sphere is Dead, Long Live the Digital Public Sphere .............................. 27 2.3.4. Politics and Participation on Social Media: Challenging or Supporting the Status Quo ..... 28 2.4. Social Media and an imperfect Public Sphere – Legitimacy and Efficacy? ................................. 31 2.4.1. Twitter and an imperfect Public Sphere ............................................................................. 32 3. Local Political Communication in the Hybrid Media System .............................................................. 35 3.1. The Rise of a Policy Arena: The Urban ........................................................................................ 35 v 3.1.1. Case selection: Bikesharing ................................................................................................. 36 3.1.2. Why Bikesharing? ................................................................................................................ 36 4. Local Contexts: Transport