2020 virtual presentation for the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).

1. Can automated strategies work for
PSM in a network society?
Engaging digital intermediation for
informed citizenry
Dr Jonathon Hutchinson, University of Sydney,
Dr Jannick Sørensen, Aalborg University

2. Overview
The contemporary media environment challenges public
service media (PSM) values as algorithms optimize
content exposure. Niche audiences seek social media
platforms and enjoy content specifically targeted to
them. PSM organisations can however in their own way
engage in similar strategies, while also leading an
innovative charge towards socially responsible media
automation practices. Digital intermediation is thus a
process that enables cultural production through the
combination of technology (platforms), digital agencies
(Multichannel Networks), and automation (algorithms) to
increase the visibility of popular users and their content,
specifically through digital influencers. In this paper, we
highlight and discuss how PSM can integrate cutting-
edge digital intermediation strategies to increase its
visibility through the combination of digital first
personalities (Hutchinson, 2019) and innovative
algorithmic strategies (Sørensen, 2019).
Overview

3. Digital
Intermediation for
Automated PSM
The Media Ecosystem
The contemporary media ecosystem for public
service media is one that operates within an
increasingly automated space through the
implementation of recommender systems that
suggest the media we should be exposed to,
chatbots that are to some extent providing our
news exposure and diversity, and media that is
not only distributed algorithmically, but indeed
created through increasingly automated
processes that draw on mathematical
calculations.

4. Digital
Intermediation for
Automated PSM
A possible way forward:
We argue that these online content producers
are digital intermediaries that operate in a
number of evolving and responsive ways to
ensure media diversity remains high through
the remit of public service media.

5. Public Service Media in a 2020 Network Society
● Algorithmic culture is most obvious in a
contemporary media environment
● Increased platformisation of content (away
from institutions)
● Content is ‘recommended’ to users,
direction attention toward particular
content
● Several government inquiries underway
(i.e. Digital Platforms Enquiry)
● Existing arguments of crowding out/high
innovation remain
● PSM continue to operate in this space

6. Digital Intermediation Within Our Media
Ecologies (What about PSM?)
● Visibility Game (Cotter, 2019)
● Technologies include hardware but also
include databases and interfaces
● Agencies are well equipped to ‘amplify’
voices across digital platforms
● Digital Intermediation - Automation is the
space that PSM can focus on with best
results
● An opportunity for ‘third-wave cultural
intermediaries’ (Perry et al.)

7. PSM Algorithmic Strategies
● Automation, big data and AI are a strong
focus from EBU in past few years
● We have seen this through initiatives such
as data journalism, robo journalism, and
recently the inclusion of news chat apps
● Users are informed citizens, but only
through their clicks
● PSM are continuing to engage new
technologies within the contemporary
media environment to continue its remit

8. Implementing (attempts of) Algorithmic PSM
● How do we maintain PSM value by implementing algorithms and/or
automation?
● Questions around a so-called diversity ‘diet’? (Helberger, 2012; Schmidt &
Sorensen, 2016)
● Or a diversity ‘nudge’ (Burri, 2013)?
● This becomes central to the role of the PSM data scientist and programmers
who work with typically commercial systems within PSM - they are required to
implement the idea of PSM into the programmatic operation of the
device/code

9. Digital Intermediation Strategies for PSM
● Understanding the interplay between
technology and social interaction is key for
the digital intermediary
● The commercial model is at odds with the
PSM model, unless we view it through the
third-wave cultural intermediary
perspective
● Journalists for example should be afforded
the ability to ‘feed’ content into the
algorithm, ultimately mimicking content
exposure on social networks
● This is already happening in many ways
through ‘tagging’ content

10. ● The environment in which PSM operates within is commercial, increasingly
dominated by platforms (and their politics)
● PSM has an opportunity to engage this space by integrating digital
intermediation into its content production and distribution practices, especially
through automation
● PSM has tried to implement automation in various ways, raising questions
about its effectiveness and remit
● Enabling content producers to ‘feed the algorithm’ will make this content more
‘competitive’ in this space
Conclusions

11. Thank You
Dr Jonathon Hutchinson - jonathon.hutchinson@sydney.edu.au
Dr Jannick Sorensen - js@es.aau.dk