Communicative Justice and the Distribution of Attention

Seth Lazar argues that digital platforms do more than host speech. Through architecture, moderation, recommendation and curation, they govern how people communicate and determine which speakers receive an audience. Because expression online is abundant while attention remains scarce, the distribution of attention becomes a question of power rather than a neutral technical outcome.

The essay argues that freedom of expression alone cannot evaluate this system. A healthy digital public sphere also requires equality, individual well-being and collective self-government. Lazar proposes communicative justice as the broader standard: platforms and future algorithmic intermediaries must be judged by whether their design and governance support civic participation, not merely engagement and advertising revenue.