kitchen talk: How to challenge big tech and regain public trust in journalism?

Background and context

On a global scale, we have become reliant on digital platforms to search and disseminate information, yet few of us grasp how these technological infrastructures function. Journalism has been no exception: The media industry has readily embraced digital platforms for an audience boost and for their convenience, while many individual journalists took the opportunity to build relationships with their audiences based on individual engagement and trust through social media platforms — all of which can be erased at the whim of big tech.

As our personalised feeds get flooded with opinions, disinformation, and AI-generated content — all the while an opaque interplay of algorithms and user behaviour determines which bits drown downstream and what gets washed out into public attention — the human stories, the verified facts and contextualisation of these, as well as the often invisible labour behind quality journalism are finding it harder than ever time to come to the fore. The tech platforms which have rebuilt information infrastructures to consolidate power and maximise profits have become less and less invested in pretending to democratise access to information and advance civic engagement. Instead, they have intentionally polarised societies and some have openly cheered authoritarian leaders. This has led to a growing need for bottom-up approaches to investigation and information sharing, as journalists and the public face the challenge of regaining agency over our information spheres.

Has journalism, as some argue, played its part in corrupting the integrity of information infrastructures? Can journalists hold digital platforms accountable and challenge their influence, while still reaching their audiences? Can collaboration across borders and communities help rebuild trust in a fragmented media landscape? And how does the power play between media and big tech reshape the role and responsibilities of journalists?

By bringing these questions into the exhibition space, this kitchen talk picks up the central themes behind SPOTLIGHTING — turning the lens away from the events journalists report on, towards the challenges, dilemmas, and responsibilities that shape how journalists work when power and precarity encroach on their routines, and what kind of futures are they working towards.