Purpose

To develop a new conceptualisation of the public particular emphasis is placed on later developments in the work of Niklas Luhmann using theoretical terms such as medium, form and observation.

Design/methodology/approach

Current theoretical approaches conceptualise the public domain as a sphere, field or system, and theorists disagree about the range of meanings of the term public. While acknowledging that diversity of meanings, this paper seeks to avoid the limitations imposed by figures such as sphere, field or system by invoking the sociological theory developed by Niklas Luhmann.

Findings

Building on Luhmann’s work, the public is conceived here as (connection) medium and projection.

Originality/value

The paper draws on a range of diverse phenomena to illustrate the wider scope of this conception and its potential application, including public interactions, the transformation of texts as publications, audience formation, the role of media communication and the concept of traffic. In so doing, the paper contributes to the development of system theory as well as to a wide-ranging theory of the public.

中文翻译：

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公众作为投影

目的

为了发展公众的新概念，特别强调尼克拉斯·卢曼（Niklas Luhmann）使用诸如媒介、形式和观察等理论术语的工作的后期发展。

设计/方法/方法

当前的理论方法将公共领域概念化为一个领域、领域或系统，理论家对公共一词的含义范围存在分歧。在承认意义的多样性的同时，本文试图通过援引尼克拉斯·卢曼发展的社会学理论来避免领域、领域或系统等数字所施加的限制。

发现

在 Luhmann 的作品的基础上，公众在这里被视为（连接）媒介和投影。

原创性/价值

本文利用一系列不同的现象来说明这一概念的更广泛范围及其潜在应用，包括公众互动、文本作为出版物的转变、受众形成、媒体传播的作用和交通概念。在此过程中，本文有助于系统理论的发展以及广泛的公众理论。