Web-Based Discourses

Beyond the prophetic discourse on the Internet virtues to promote the emergence of a European public sphere, the Web gives rise to various investments to promote Europe, ranging from institutions to “ordinary” citizens. Our case study, Cafebabel. com, highlights the ambiguities of a paradoxical position between an approach based on the stated willingness to encourage the expression of European citizens, and a proximity to informational sources, combined with a relative dependence of institutional resources which determine its existence and survival. The study of enunciative situations shows the difficulties in producing the standards of a legitimate, but non institutional, speech about Europe.