Democratising the Internet
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 5 min
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Summary
Independent media faces significant challenges online due to platform gatekeepers, algorithmic bias, and reliance on big tech infrastructure. Panelists discuss the precarious situation in Italy and Poland and debate strategies for survival and democratization, including leveraging existing platforms, building new spaces, exploring offline connections, addressing economic sustainability, and the potential role of regulation and funding.Episode description
Democratising the Internet with Independent Media: The Need to Build New Spaces from Scratch
Today’s digital landscape often feels dominated by gatekeepers—tech giants, algorithms, and monetised platforms that prioritise profits over people and verified information. This panel explores how these challenges are reshaping the way we consume and create information online. The need to understand the tech issues confronting media organisations—censorship, data centralisation, diminishing reach, and algorithmic bias—and ask how independent media can pioneer alternative spaces is pressing. What does it take to build a truly open and equitable digital ecosystem from scratch? How can technology, collaboration, and creativity empower media to thrive outside traditional platforms? It is about reclaiming the internet’s potential and charting a path forward for independent voices to work towards democratising the informative digital space.
Powered by Krytyka Polyticzna and VD News
With:
Agustin Ferrari Braun (University of Amsterdam | NL)
Paulina Januszewska (Krytyka Polyticzna | PL)
Samuele Maccolini (VD News | IT)
Moderation: Heritiana Ranaivoson (Vrije Universiteit Brussel | BE)
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