Democracy and Media Policy in a Changing Communications Ecosystem

In this course, learning sessions are designed to look at differing media and communication ecosystems in Europe, and to examine to what extent changes in politics, technologies and ways of everyday life (such as coping with crises, risks, uncertainties) affect changed roles and functions of media and journalism in contemporary Europe. To achieve such a broad aim, an interdisciplinary approach that specificaly focusses on a broad variety of socio-political and technological trends (digitalization, platformization/algoritmization) on the changed communications logic and evolving user habits/routines and their effects (hence on changed communication rights and freedom) is applied, and media and journalism development analysis is performed with ideal (normative) and actual (political, professional and socio-cultural) characteristics in mind.

By critically reviewing media development tendencies and journalism performance in newly emerging/hybrid communication ecosystems, this course aims at identifying trends in societal re-structuring and change, and, on the basis of the gained knowledge, it explores prospective issues in national and global media regulation/policy/governance formation.

Bachelor diploma, English language B2 level.

Thematic topics here are formulated as critical inquiries: How democratic and inclusive is the ‘new’ information/communication environment – how its logic is being shaped/alterred through digitalization/platformization/algoritmization and other technologically enhanced or socio-political trends? What are ‘communication rights’ and how they are defined in contemporary democracies and in (hybrid) media and communications ecosystems? How ‘old’ media (PSM, print and broadcast companies) respond to changed ‘communications logic’ and changed ‘communication rights’ of citizens? How profession of journalism reacts and changes in response to new ‘communications logic’ and evolving/changed ‘communication rights’ of citizens? What challenges to democratic governance and media policy are brought by these changes in media/communication environmnets and changed user habits/traditions? How policies/governance actions need to be shaped to address new digital threats/dangers: disinformation/harrasment/attacks on safety, etc.? Who are the core actors (GAFAM global players, governments, media groups/journalists, business, people, HR defenders and activists) defending ‘communication rights’? How ordinary people – citizens and massess – react to these new rights and arising information production and communication possibilities? How these ‘communication rights’ are accomodated in media literacy policies and practical initiatives?

Analytical thinking, idea and research questions generation, authentic solutions, creative product design, in-class participation