The Platformization of Media Structures as a Critical Juncture

A Pragmatist Perspective on Value Mediation by Journalistic Start-ups and Established Publishers

Abstract

The field of digital journalism is facing multifaceted crises posed by the phenomenon of platformization. We interpret this platformization as a critical juncture and investigate how different actors address the associated challenges, focusing on processes of value mediation. To do so, we compare two German journalism start-ups and a mainstream publisher. Our study introduces a pragmatistic theoretical framework using three approaches of cooperative value mediation (or “co-valuation”) – pricing, design, and cultivation – as an analytical as well as normative tool. On the one hand, results show that niche players exhibit a tendency for autonomy from prevailing structural conditions, underlined by a collective “value commitment”, although the strategies for mediating values can differ significantly. On the other hand, established players perceive themselves as subject to deterministic influences, hindering the cultivation of enduring value loyalties. The analysis thus also highlights the role of the sociotechnical ecosystem in shaping value mediation, emphasizing the utility of the co-valuation approaches.