Media

1. The Issues

Super rich tech broligarchy to rule the world?

Digitisation has allowed concentrations of big technology companies – Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft – amassing great wealth and influence through their ownership of digital infrastructure and platforms – a digital ecosystem that creates a self-perpetuating cycle of escalating returns to themselves.The paradox is that, despite knowing the costs and dangers to society, most of us cannot now do without these platforms.

Over time governments have weakened media rules and increased media concentration. Now big tech is fighting regulation, putting their businesses beyond the reach of state actors and challenging the authority, sovereignty and capacity of governments. Big tech and rogue political actors have worked together to undermine democracy, suppress criticism and weaken institutions. They can do this with their enormous market and financial resources thanks to billions of people using their platforms.

Tech companies collect real-time data to estimate user preferences and predict user behaviour, permitting targeted promotion strategies now extending into, for instance, health and education. Artificial intelligence is already to accelerating the dominance of big tech. Read here and here for more on this.

Reliance on social media for news is increasing rapidly as newspaper and TV businesses steadily decline. TV is still the most popular news source in 2024 but it dropped to 56 per cent, while social media news rose to 49 per cent. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z now rely on social media platforms as their main source of news.

The Public Interest Journalism Initiative warns:

In the past year, the reporting of and public discourse on, key domestic issues and global events has been polarised to an almost unprecedented degree, with a stark lack of analysis or accountability.

2. Our plan

Ensure freedom of political communication and scrutiny of government officials online
Support and protect independent media and journalists
Support big tech whistleblowers
Support the development of safe and responsible AI in Australia, especially in industries with acute skills shortages, scientific research and healthcare
Guard against big tech funding and manipulating research on the harms to people, as done by fossil fuel and tobacco companies
Regulate social media platforms so they are transparent to consumers and protected from p
Encourage and fund open-source software
Promote e-safety-by-design principles that eliminate age-inappropriate content from the feeds of children and:
give minors the strongest privacy settings by default
provide standardised, easily accessible and well-explained reporting processes across diverse platforms
use AI to detect bad actors attempting to interact with children
Develop high quality, child-centred evidence to define what is inappropriate material for children
Invest in Australia’s cybersecurity capabilities, protect Australian businesses and take offensive action against organised online scam networks
Make it an offence for big tech to modify or use online content and/or data for other purposes such as AI development, without permission from the user, compensation or credits
Oppose mandatory Digital ID verification online, and support encryption
Use anticompetitive laws for dealing with monopolistic behaviour of big tech,
Support Australian startups with stronger protections for intellectual property and against hostile practices from established industry players

3. The evidence

The (Pew Centre) review also found that while use of digital media can increase citizen knowledge and boost low-level participation, it often damages trust in the political process and in democratic institutions such as parliaments, the judiciary, government departments, and the media. The review found an association between the use of digital media and increases in polarisation and the appeal of populism.
The Lowry Institute

Australia should look to other countries for means to hold big tech to account. Historically, the European Union has been a leader when it comes to taking up the legal fight against big tech. More than 20 years ago, the EU successfully prosecuted Microsoft for violating competition law. This was followed by other successful anticompetition law cases. For example, in 2017, the commission fined Google more than €2.4 billion for abusing its dominant position as a search engine. Last month the US District Court ruled Google had an illegal monopoly on online search. We must support Australia’s tech industry and start-ups and provide strong competition for big tech.

Findings from the Digital News Report, June 2024, by the University of Canberra’s News and Media Research Centre show that journalists are working in an increasingly challenging media environment, thanks to Artificial Intelligence and algorithms causing widespread unease. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z report relying on social media as their main source of news – a significant increase of 17 percentage points since last year. However, as META dropped its news content in February 2024 the Federal Government’s News Media Bargaining Code was in tatters and yet another source of news disappeared. While some agreements were reached the Code remains practically inoperative.

4. References

How Big Tech Undermines Democracy
Promoting safe and responsible AI
Australia’s AI Ethics Principles
Future foundations for giving: Draft report, submission to the Productivity Commission
News/Media Alliance statement on California Governor Newsom, Assembly member Wicks announcement with Google, ensuring tech platform pays for journalism
Educating young people about social media would be far more effective than a ban - Finland can show us how
Labor concerned Meta may ‘sidestep obligations to pay for news’ as media bargaining code fight reignites
Freedom on the net 2024
Transparency is essential for effective social media regulation