The upcoming World Electronic Media Forum includes a session called “Explosion and Fracturing of Public Sphere“, featuring my old boss, James Deane (alongside Aida Opoku Mensah of the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and Sharmini Boyle of Young Asia TV).
This Howard Rheingold piece (hat-tip, Ethan Z) is a must-read prior to that, particularly the last third and the pieces he points to.