3.4. The Media: On conflict areas, power constellations and necessary relativization of opportunities and risks

Internet as key technology and topic generator

The Internet has fundamentally changed the media sector. The majority of media professionals surveyed for this study have experienced, themselves, the speed with which work processes and techniques have changed over the course of their career. They often recall with a smile their introduction to the Internet, and how the Internet gradually made its way into their everyday routine over the course of their career and became more and more indispensable. Many experienced the Internet in its earliest days and talk about this time as if it were ancient history (“it all started with BTX”; “in the old days we still would print out and send a fax”).

Today, no one disputes the Internet’s status as a key technology. In the media sector especially, the Internet is both the beginning and the end, it is both the tool for work and the focus of work, and it is difficult to imagine business without it. It is, in today’s globalized world, the all-encompassing channel through which everything flows. And for media professionals, it is difficult to find anything in their environment that is not controlled and managed online („perhaps the coffee machine“).

 “The Internet is everything. Everything we do is Internet. We publish on the Internet, we research on the Internet, we communicate through the Internet, write dozens of emails on a daily basis. The telephone gets used comparatively little. Even our internal communication – here among the editorial staff – happens mainly via networks, computer screens and keyboards. With all the detail work and all the things that need to be constantly reviewed and changed, it would be impossible to get it all done in face-to-face meetings. The Internet is inherent to our work, it is simply inseparable from what we do.”

“The Internet makes it possible to even find like-minded people; I can meet them, coordinate with them and develop and plan new projects. The Internet has made everything much, much simpler. […] Simpler, faster and more flexible. It is much easier to track down experts on specialized topics, for example, and I am no longer as dependent on the mainstream media filter.”

Media professionals are tuned into the far-reaching implications of the Internet and its impact on society as a whole. With its all-encompassing character, its penetration into all sectors of society and all spheres of life, the Internet provides media professionals with extremely topic-rich terrain with a lot of conflict potential. It provides them with all the news elements they are looking for – proximity, consequence, conflict, variation, etc. – and all at a tremendously fast pace.

“We are in the middle of a revolution, the biggest revolution since the printing press, probably bigger. The world in which we live in today is changing faster and more fundamentally than it has even over the course of the last several centuries. Sure, the airplane, automobile and television also changed the world, but not at this pace – and by no means did they penetrate daily life as quickly and extensively as the Internet. So it’s a fascinating job, and very exciting, to be taking part in this revolution as a journalist and as someone who can – at least to a small degree – help us avoid the kind of political decisions we come to regret in the future.”

From this perspective the Internet represents, without question, a huge opportunity for all of society. It facilitates communication and social coexistence, it expands life’s horizons and opens up totally new possibilities. The Internet also changes our basic notions of social integration and participation; not only by offering new options and opportunity, but also by introducing new requirements. Today it is no longer just an option to learn “from the Internet” how to network. It has become a must. Even if you’re not a journalist, say the media professionals, you simply have to be online and networked. You can no longer afford not to be.

 “If you upload content today onto the Internet that isn’t cross-linked or networked, it will fall through the net, it will be worthless. People in today’s workforce who are not networked, will also fall through the net and be considered valueless. The Internet is changing our whole concept of value.”

While focus among media professionals is largely on the opportunity that the Internet brings with it, there is also talk of the risks it poses. Despite their fascination with the Internet’s achievements, they also want to raise awareness for its pitfalls and potential dangers. The Internet itself can become a risk, they say, when it is “poorly done”. In their view, the Internet is becoming overloaded with a never-ending stream of new functionalities. New applications are constantly being added and integrated without knowing whether the basic underlying systems, on which we become more and more dependent, have even been adequately secured or backed up.

 “These days we are adding so many new functionalities to the Internet and are becoming so dependent on the Internet in so many areas, that we are losing sight of fact that we are maybe moving too fast and not safeguarding certain things adequately. We’re not thinking about it enough. And there is another risk. […] The techies overlook the fact that they’re not doing enough for security and reliability. Huge buildings are being constructed on very, very weak foundations. Eventually parts are going to collapse. And when it does collapse, there will be a huge collective step backwards in terms of acceptance.”

Media as observer and commentator on fast-moving change

The media professionals see themselves as specialists on the subject of the Internet and new communications technologies. They try to consider the Internet from different perspectives, to weigh the respective pros and cons, and to facilitate discourse among the various players. On a personal level, they tend to be optimistic about the digital future. But in the professional context, they are also happy to work with disaster scenarios, such as a “data Fukushima”.

Media professionals see themselves as critical observers of the fast-moving change happening before our eyes. They want to be the ones shaping the discourse in the media and raising public awareness for previously neglected aspects of the Internet debate. An example:

 “I am amazed by the carefree attitude of companies like YouTube, Facebook, etc. They have these gargantuan data storage requirements and are having a significant impact on the overall data transfer rate on the Internet. But they skirt the responsibility of investing in this infrastructure and totally leave it to the carriers and network providers. […] It makes me very grateful that there are a few institutions out there who have at least forced Google to say how much energy it is actually consuming. We talk a lot about the big energy turnaround, new efficiency standards and all kinds of things. Meanwhile Google’s needs are the equivalent of a nuclear power plant or maybe two – and that’s just for Europe.”

Media professionals want to ensure transparency and bring injustices to light wherever possible. One way to do this is to broaden the perspective to include the international playing field (“What is the situation in Germany?”, “How are the other countries dealing with these issues?“). Their approach is to consider the issues from as many different viewpoints as possible. They are well aware of their responsibility as reporters and want to remain as neutral as possible in their efforts to moderate the discussion in the media („no Internet evangelism“). They want to relativize both excessive euphoria and unnecessary fear. In dialogue with the relevant decision-makers from other sectors of society (politics and business in particular), their goal is to influence social discourse, point out possible solutions and steer decision-making processes in the “right” direction.

 “We consider it our responsibility, of course, to support and contribute to this process of social change so that it takes place in a sensible way – in a way that avoids excess in any one particular direction and thereby any undesirable developments.”

At the same time, media industry professionals are being forced to adapt to a new concept of the public sphere and public opinion. The Internet makes it possible for the user to become his or her own broadcaster – by commenting on online articles or through the use of social media. This changes the position of the journalist significantly, who is then no longer the lone “gatekeeper”, but engaged in a dialogue with other players on the field. Journalists today tend to view this in a positive light, i.e. less as competition and more as an enriching new source of content that is faster and more “real”.

“Currently I am taking a close look at how the Internet is changing the public sphere, especially the impact of content published by non-journalistic players. […] I am focusing especially on the issue of leaking, which has always been associated with journalism, of course. But today leaking is also practiced more and more by non-journalists. This is of course a big help to journalists, since the law puts limits on what they can do.”

Opportunity and risk assessments of other players lack balance

The media sees government and the private sector as the two major players in the power struggle to define and shape the Internet (“here it’s the tortoise vs. the hare every day”). And the key element to this story, according to media professionals, is the game being played with people’s fears.

 “The German mantra is: always keep an eye on the risks. […] There are lobbyist groups that play on fear by pushing the issue of data privacy and data security. They are trying to impede progress on greater transparency, because transparency is probably bad for their business. As a result, things are becoming so complex in Germany – and so excessively secured – that people can hardly use them anymore.”

But, according to the media professionals, political decision-makers often have only rudimentary knowledge of the Internet, its special characteristics and its many potential applications. And without more extensive knowledge and experience, they simply cannot perform their assigned oversight function when it comes to the private sector.

 “The politicians themselves are also part of the problem in Germany. The people now sitting in the Bundestag, for example, don’t necessarily understand this issue very well.”

“Very few individuals in our regulatory agencies in Germany are active on the Internet themselves or particularly knowledgeable about it. I bet you could count them on two hands.”

Interestingly, nearly all Internet “players” from all sectors seem to think that they are more knowledgable or experienced on Internet issues compared to the other players. They even allege ignorance within their own industry (if not within their own specific medium). They themselves are experts who know the terrain; everyone else has trouble explaining things or relies on fear mongering, etc.

“If you watch the Tagesschau or read the Stern, the issues come across very strangely […] As so- meone in the business, you think to yourself, my God, they haven’t even understood it. My God, they’re just scaring everyone again, or they explain it in such a way that no one can understand it. The only thing the viewer understands is that he better be careful. It’s a shame, really, that there are so few people who can talk about these issues clearly and understandably in the mainstream media.”

While media professionals acknowledge the risks, they argue that the downside tends to get exaggerated and overdramatized. In their view, the freedom that the Internet offers is inevitably accompanied by a degree of uncertainty and insecurity, but this is also something that an evolved society – and the users within that society – can cope with. People are being taken for fools, say the media professionals. Policymakers and business leaders assume that people are capable of nothing.

 “One possibility is the normalization of the things that get broadcast. The famous example is the supposedly horrible moment when you get to your first-round job interview and are presented with images from the parties you’ve attended over the last 10 years. You hear this example all the time. I can picture a situation in 10-15 years where are no more job applicants [laughs] […] And I can also imagine that tomorrow’s technology-savvy applicants have already accessed the party photos of the HR head interviewing them for the job.“

“I have always been a proponent of self-regulation and believe that government meddles too much in too many areas. It should concentrate on providing basic needs and services, maintaining infra- structure and those kinds of things, but not try to impose its ideal or ideals on grown men and women. The ban on smoking is just one example. These are almost absurd examples of a paternalistic state.”

Making technological innovations more user-friendly and secure

Media professionals are themselves great supporters of Internet technology. In their view, they not only stay close to the issues, but also keep their eye on “big picture” developments. To an extent, they see themselves as “lawyers” for the user community. They take the user seriously and add genuine value to the discourse by considering innovations from a broader perspective – not just in terms of the technologies themselves. In their view, there is room for improvement in the areas of user friendliness and operating security and reliability. And as the Internet continues to expand and pervade more and more areas of society, the less technologically-savvy users will have to be given the chance to “get on board”.

“That is the big challenge – to avoid leaving these people behind. The only way to achieve this is by communicating the advantages of the Internet and the new solutions it offers. But then the advantages need to be real. […] And they need to be idiot-proof and extremely secure. […] Business is often very weak on this point. […] The reason why user prompts and user navigation are so inadequate, is because the Internet and all the services in and around the Internet are almost always created by technical people who live and breathe this stuff.”

Media professionals suggest that providers should meet the users halfway: they should make their products and services simple, accessible and transparent with regard to security settings.

Example: Uniform payment systems

“It would be nice if the operators/vendors could agree on, say, two or three standards for payment transactions as a way to simplify the structure and layout of certain web pages. To suggest a common Internet currency might be going a bit too far, but more uniform payment systems would make the whole thing more manageable. ”

Example: Social media

 “When I think about all the configuration options on Facebook or the Internet browser… The main setting is always the default configuration, since only a few users will bother to change them. And that is a job for policymakers. They should stipulate what the default settings should look like. If the user then decides to change the settings and go in a different direction, then he makes the conscious decision to do so. That is why the default settings should be more restrictive. But usually they are not. Usually it’s exactly the opposite.”

According to media professionals, the Internet is no longer a luxury for a selected community of users, but a mass medium that should be considered part of the basic infrastructure and accessible to everyone. But it remains difficult for most users to keep up with the tremendous complexity of systems and the speed with which new solutions and applications are being introduced on to the market.

“I would say the user is basically in over his head. When you look at these social networks, for example, you’ve got 15 pages stipulating the terms of use and data use policies and the user is expected to read and understand this stuff. And it’s written in a language that is not only hard to understand, but also subject to legal interpretation.”

Still, media professionals remain focused on the future. The further digitalization of our world is, their view, inevitable and will continue to penetrate more and more of our daily lives and routines. They develop very detailed scenarios of the future of the digital society.

 “It’s going to change the way we do business and it’s going to have a huge impact on our daily routines. The flow of customers through a city’s commercial zone will be channeled differently, because various shops or lunch restaurants will be competing for whoever happens to be passing through. You’ll get a message from the Pizza Hut around the corner saying ‘Hey, here you can get two for the price of one. Come to us, don’t go to McDonalds!’”