Building Bridges Through Innovation

As our world is becoming increasingly divided at a societal level, it is imperative to identify and reinforce common values and identities that unite us, while celebrating what sets us apart. Public institutions, such as public service media (PSM), share the democratic responsibility in bridging the divide between these cultural and interest groups, most notably, in the creation of public value. As digital media consumption habits have evolved in society from linear TV and radio to on-demand media platforms, public service media are required to adapt with them in order to maintain relevancy and deliver public value. Public service media are thus confronted with the challenging position of creating services that pay attention to centripetal forces which create social cohesion and connection through services which are universally appreciated and relatable to society as a whole, and centrifugal forces which foster diversity and highlight the needs of the individual. Therefore, this research aims to answer the following question: How can public service media in Canada and the Netherlands leverage digital technologies to create public value? To address the research question, a qualitative comparative case study approach is applied, with seven interviews from digital and content strategists at both Canada’s and the Netherlands’ public service media institutions. Additionally, desk research is performed in the form of a thematic analysis of relevant company publications, news articles, press releases, and policy documents. Through the observation of these two units of analysis, findings show that, public service media use digital technologies as modern tools for distribution in order to deliver content that has value. Public service media with in-house algorithm capabilities are able to also foster social cohesion and diversity in encouraging citizens to engage with content outside of their community of interest, in diversified algorithms and recommendation systems. In leveraging certain technologies, such as platforms and machine learning, public service media are able to ensure that citizens receive diverse and relevant information to foster content and exposure diversity, democratic participation, and mutual understanding. In addition, platforms open the door for public service media to collaborate with members of marginalized communities to ensure that their voices are heard on a larger scale.