PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

‘Digital modernity’ promises advanced possibilities for correcting consequences of the functional differentiation of society for a variety of civil society initiatives. Against this backdrop, our article focusses on processes of synchronization between media, politics and law and examines new potentials for irritation design. First, we discuss the classical theory of reflexive law and recent refinements of it. Second, we introduce notable visions of an online-induced acceleration of the correction of society and of the need for societal rectification. Supported by empirical case studies, we thirdly elaborate our main thesis that the technical improvement of communication structures per se does not necessarily increase the likelihood of an evaluation of the queries by the systems addressed. The search for and the design of convenient forms of irritation remains a complex organizational process. In contrast to other positions, taken in recent sociology of law, we maintain that the role of the law is changed, but essential. In the final chapter, we contextualize our findings within a broader evolutionary perspective.