[Air-L] New Article about 17Y of Platform Governance Changes and Media Reporting

[Christian Katzenbach]

Dear AoIR-Colleagues, 

I just wanted to tell that we have this new article out: 

Marchal, N., Hoes, E., Klüser, K. J., Hamborg, F., Alizadeh, M., Kubli, M., & Katzenbach, C.:
**How Negative Media Coverage Impacts Platform Governance: Evidence from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube**
Political Communication, 0(0), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2024.2377992

I am telling this as this has been so long in the making, and I can imagine that there might be some interest in the community as it includes long-term data on US media reporting about platforms, and addresses a key question of debates on social media platforms. What drives changes, and do platforms respond to criticism? 

Why is it important for me? 

(1) How does platform governance emerge in the context increasing controversies and politicisation? This has been on my research agenda for years, and I was so glad the PRODIGI team (led by Fabrizio Gilardi, UZH) approached me to study this systematically, matching longitudinal 17Y data on media reporting with our Platform Governance Archive and its longitudinal data on platform policies. 

(2) And indeed, we did find that sustained negative coverage significantly predicts changes to platforms’ user policies, highlighting the role of public pressure in shaping the governance of online platforms. While Tarleton Gillespie, Mike Ananny, and also our own research at the Lab Platform Governance, Media, and Technology (PGMT) had shown anecdotical and qualitative evidence of this, this study is a first, I believe, in trying to measure this on scale and in quantitative terms. 

(3) The 17Y timeline of media reporting on platforms also shows systematically that there is indeed a „tech lash“ in media reporting. We observe a significant surge in negative sentiment and critical new reporting toward major Big Tech companies. Platforms’ outsized power and influence over public life have brought widespread criticisms since 2016, and these are clearly reflected in the increasingly critical tone of tech coverage over that period.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2024.2377992

I hope you like it too – and LMK if you want to talk. At my Platform Governance, Media and Technology Lab (PGMT) in Bremen, we are continuing to work on these issues, specifically with this longterm perspective. 

At AoIR 2024 we’ll have a presentation on the emergence of misinformation as an issue in platform governance, building on data 2005 to 2023. Maybe see you in Sheffield!

Best,
Christian