Télévision : le presque-public

Abstract

The concept of a "public" introduces several essential distinctions in relation to that of an "audience". (1) A public constitutes a milieu, it involves a certain type of sociability and a minimum of stability. (2) A public is endowed with a capacity for internal deliberation. (3) A public has a capacity for performance. (4) A public shows a willingness to defend certain values. (5) A public is likely to translate its tastes into demands. (6) Finally, a public can exist only in a reflexive form. Its existence necessarily involves a capacity for self-imagination. Based on these conceptual clarifications, the analysis of a number of empirical studies on television attempts to answer three key questions: (a) Has a real attempt been made to study television publics? (b) Have such publics been found? (c) Do such publics exist?