The Power of Platforms - with Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Dear Friends,
Last week, Prof. Rasmus Kleis Nielsen discussed the profound changes brought by digital platforms in media environments and the power struggles that this has initiated. It was a great opportunity to examine with him also the possible regulatory solutions to this situation.
The way we find our news is changing. In the past, most people got their news from a specific news provider, like a newspaper or TV station. But now, more and more people are finding out about news through intermediaries like social media and search engines. This has profound implications for both those who consume news and for those who produce it.
The central theme of his presentation (and of his book, The Power of Platforms - Shaping Media and Society (UOP, 2022) co-authored with Sarah Anne Ganter), is indeed the power of digital platforms as a consequence of this development in the distribution of news.
The economic structure of the market, in his presentation, is as important as other factors that equally determine their power. In particular, they single out five main determinants of power: 1. the power to set standards; 2. the power to make and break connections; 3. the power of automated action at scale; 4. the power of information asymmetry, and 5. the power to operate across domains.
Prof. Nielsen considered how these five different dimensions of power have affected the different types of news creators, from legacy publishers to digital natives.
He then concluded by discussing the different regulatory solutions proposed or already in use around the world and the societal implications of such changes.
The video recordings of his presentation will soon be available. Stay connected!
All the best,
Claudio