Big Tech’s Negative Impact on Democracy

The internet had great promise the free and open flow of information for those with internet access amp8212 another issue to address for another time This free information was delivered by publishers and funded by advertisingSteadily Big Tech companies like Google and Meta staged a quiet takeover of the online advertising ecosystem capitalizing on publishersamp8217 freelyprovided content to gain data on their readership and in turn use that data to help advertisers find those visitors on other sites instead of the publishersamp8217 Big tech today continues to cash in on this traffic via their advertising walled gardens and networks amp8212 and does not provide fair share of those profits with the news organizations whose content made this possibleBig Tech platforms while providing unparalleled reach and distribution of news content have also damaged the financial foundations of news media The advertising model once the lifeblood of journalism has been disrupted with a substantial portion of ad revenues now flowing through tech behemoths Now the journalism industry crippled facing existential challenges and weakening the industry necessary for a healthy and wellfunctioning societyProblemsAccording to the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1990 there was one journalist for every 5000 Americans by 2019 this ratio had plummeted to one journalist per 15000 Americans amp8211 a staggering 70 reduction in journalistic coverage This has created news deserts amp8211 communities that are no longer covered by daily or nondaily newspapers A 2018 study estimated that there are more than 1000 communities in the US that are considered news deserts And many more are being covered by newspapers operating with minimal staffThis drastic shift has left many news organizations scrambling to develop sustainable business models in the digital ageFurthermore the algorithms driving Big Tech platforms tend to favor sensational content created quickly often at the expense of nuanced indepth journalism This leads to an environment where misinformation proliferates rapidly challenging the public39s ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood Hereamp8217s the irony tech platforms were built on the backs of journalists providing them with content for their users to discover share and discuss Yet as smart as their systems can be I donamp8217t believe they adequately distinguish and promote professional journalism over misinformation and propagandaNote UNCamp8217s data showing the 50 reduction in journalism readers and professionals aided by Big Tech platforms spreading and extending algorithmicdriven promotion intended or not of misinformation clickbait propaganda and falsehoodsHowever the evolving digital landscape especially the move away from thirdparty cookies gives hope for journalism Media outlets now have the opportunity to forge direct relationships with their audiences leveraging their content to develop sustainable revenue models Publishers can better control the data of their users so that advertisers have to engage with them more directly to find customersOne ApproachThe ad industry needs to honor the intent of the regulation and respect the privacy of users as well as publishers and marketers The cookie from the moment it was created was an illequipped mechanism to facilitate a healthy and engaged relationship between two parties It was never intended to be used as the surveillance mechanism for all internet usersThe right method would be for an independent system possibly open source governed by a notforprofit entity that collaborates with publisher associations that allow for users to easily and simply engage in the sharing of their private data if they choose to form a relationship with a publisher or choose to consume content from it The publisher and consumer would retain the right and capability to easily revoke data sharing or permissions at any time should they choose to end the relationshipThere could be multiple levels to which a publisher can gain access to a useramp8217s information on the useramp8217s own accord If the first time a user reaches the next level of content consumption via any participating site in this system they need to share more dataFor example a user can be on the first level reading a couple of articles for free with no data shared Then on the next level to view five additional pages of content for free the consumer needs to authenticate that theyamp8217re not a bot Then to access five more articles they need give an email address through an ID service The more content is consumed the more data a user provides If the user enters data one time it should be available to other participating publishers in this system without the need for the user to reenter information when they visit those sitesWhy NowLetamp8217s acknowledge the challenges and embrace the opportunities to ensure journalism39s continued role as a cornerstone of democracy The future of journalism hinges largely on its ability to adapt and innovate amidst technological titans reaffirming its status as the beacon of truth and vehicle of accountability in an increasingly digital world It will require a commitment from leaders across media marketing and civic sectors to collaborate on a sustainable model that ensures open access to quality journalism news and information for allPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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Big Tech’s Negative Impact on Democracy

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Shawn Riegsecker

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Big Tech’s Negative Impact on Democracy

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