The publics and the government of life in social networks

The goal of this study is an analysis of the relationship between the publics, analyzed by Gabriel Tarde and the government of practices of life, studied by Michel Foucault in the context of social networks, making a comparison between the practices of this kind of social grouping in the early twentieth century with its update in the social networks context in the twenty-first century. Initially we investigate the relationship between a private company with its public, identifying the salient elements of the first moments of this type of social grouping. Then the practices of control of life are identified in the context of the early twentieth century and then their transformation in the context of the social networks. The conclusion points out how the publics have become components of the government of life in the context of social networks in their articulation with contemporary neoliberalism.