Positivist social theory and research that stresses that critique has to be constructive, has to have a vision for a future society, foregrounds positive visions, etc., harbours the promise and threat of a deterministic concept of history that sees history as an unfolding of reason. In contrast, critical theory:
is entirely negative, that is, what is “negative” in revolution/critique does not harbour in it the notion of a teleological or progressivist “positive resolution”. […] History does not lead anywhere, has no telos, no objectives, no purpose and it does not take sides. […] There is no reality beyond the existent social relations (Bonefeld 2014, 221, 223, 225).
1.3.5. Habermas and the Critical Theory of Communication
One cannot talk about communication theory without talking about Habermas. One can also not talk about critical theory without talking about Habermas. When bringing up the notion of a critical theory of communication, most readers will inevitably first and foremost think of Habermas. Habermas’ profound engagement with social theory, political theory and communication theory was one of the most influential theories of the twentieth century in the social sciences and humanities. Updating critical theory and communication theory therefore requires a substantial engagement with Habermas’ works. There are many virtues of Habermas, not least that he is a true public intellectual who has intervened in everyday political debates.
Habermas is not just known for the Theory of Communicative Action, but also for his earlier work, Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. Both works have become key readings in media and communication studies. In a sense, Habermas’ later work retains the notion of the public sphere, but connects it to the notion of communication, which has resulted in the concept of the lifeworld. In media and communication studies, both Habermas and Raymond Williams are key thinkers – Habermas in respect to the concept of communication, Williams in respect to the notion of culture. There has, however, been hardly any direct connection between the two authors’ works.
But the critical theory of communication does not end with Habermas. Today, we need to go beyond Habermas in an open manner. Habermas has not theorised digital communication, i.e. communication via computer networks such as the Internet, social media platforms, mobile media, etc. This is not to say that the rise of the computer and the Internet has changed everything and that we have entered a new society. Rather, we live in a capitalist society that has been significantly transformed in order to stay the same system of exploitation and domination. The Internet, social and mobile media can certainly not be ignored. Critical theory must be updated to the realities of the twenty-first century. New communications technologies are one of many realities that today need to be critically theorised (see Fuchs 2008, 2011, 2014a, 2014b, 2015a, 2016). The Internet’s power structures are not profoundly diferent from those of traditional mass media, yet it has new potentials and limits that interact with structures of accumulation in the economy, the political system and the cultural system.
Introduction: Critical Theory of Communication
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