Abstract:

In late 2017 the Australian Government ordered the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to conduct an inquiry into the role digital platforms, especially large content aggregators like Google, Facebook and Twitter, play in the supply of news and information to the public (ACCC, 2017). The outcomes of the inquiry highlight a fierce competitive battle raging between relatively unregulated behemoths like Google that (profitably) curate information, and the highly regulated traditional news sources that produce it. The stakes are high; this year, the chair of the inquiry, Rod Sims, stated that digital platforms “… have a significant influence over what news and journalism Australians do and don’t see.” (ACCC, 2019)

Not surprisingly, all the major players in this space made submissions to the ACCC setting out their positions on the strengths and issues of online news and information. Surprisingly, of the over 200 submissions, no educational organisations responded, implying that the inquiry was not seen as being relevant to education. However, when seen through the lens of students as consumers of the information flowing from such platforms, many troubling issues are illuminated. Increasingly, the news students access is being written by computers – automatically constructed articles created at the prompt of new data signals. Complex issues are being compressed into ‘sound-bites’ and ‘memes.’ Algorithms influence students’ ability to discover new information. Students perceive news as being something that should be free, not understanding the extremely high costs and personal risks of responsible journalism.

Using the submissions and findings of this inquiry, particularly where ‘young audiences’ are discussed, this paper delves into the myriad and competing agendas that inform the production, discovery and distribution of online news and information, and sheds light on the issues facing students as they attempt to channel this information flow into their studies and their understanding of the world.

References:
[1] Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (2018) Digital Platforms Inquiry Preliminary Report. Sims, Rod (11 February 2019) Insights and Impacts of the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry

Keywords:

Student learning, digital platforms, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, digital platforms inquiry.