TRUST AND LITERACY IN THE CONTEXT OF DATA & AGENCY RELATIONS: THE CASE OF PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA IN BELGIUM MASTER THESIS to obtain the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Digital Communication Leadership (DCLead) of Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences Paris Lodron University of Salzburg Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences and Solvay Business School Vrije Universiteit Brussel Submitted by ALENA SIDAROVICH Student Number: 1042431 [email protected] Cardinal Lavigerie 9, 1040 Brussels, Belgium Primary Supervisor: Jo Pierson Secondary Supervisor: Josef Trappel Department of Communication Studies Salzburg, 31.07.2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, APPENDICES AND ACRONYMS .................................. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 6 PART 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 1: DATAFICATION & MEDIA ...................................................................... 10 1. 1. Big data and datafication ...................................................................................................... 10 1. 2. The meaning of data for media sector .................................................................................. 11 1. 3. Public service media and big data ........................................................................................ 12 CHAPTER 2: DATAFICATION & THE USER AGENCY .............................................. 14 2. 1. Criticism on datafication approach....................................................................................... 14 2. 2. The importance of user agency ............................................................................................ 15 CHAPTER 3: LITERACY AND TRUST ........................................................................... 17 3. 1. Data and agency relations: knowing users ........................................................................... 17 3. 2. Data literacy ......................................................................................................................... 18 3. 3. From data literacy to trust .................................................................................................... 19 3. 4. Understanding of trust .......................................................................................................... 21 3. 5. Factors of trust ...................................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER 4: PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA IN DATA & AGENCY RELATIONS .......... 25 4. 1. Public Service Media towards literate users ......................................................................... 25 4. 2. Public service media & trust ................................................................................................ 26 4. 3. Public service media environment in Belgium ..................................................................... 27 PART 2: EMPIRICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................. 31 CHAPTER 5: METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH DESIGN ........................................... 31 5. 1. Research rationale ................................................................................................................ 31 5. 2. Justification of the methodology .......................................................................................... 31 5. 3. Data collection ..................................................................................................................... 33 5. 3. 1. In-depth user interviews ............................................................................................... 33 5. 3. 2. Expert interviews .......................................................................................................... 37 5. 4. Data analysis ........................................................................................................................ 39 CHAPTER 6: RESULTS .................................................................................................... 41 6. 1. Findings: in-depth user interviews ....................................................................................... 41 6. 1. 1. Data and agency: data literacy...................................................................................... 41 6. 1. 2. Knowledge and understanding ..................................................................................... 42 2 6. 1. 3. Trust ............................................................................................................................. 45 6. 1. 4. Education and the role of media ................................................................................... 51 6. 2. Findings: expert interviews .................................................................................................. 54 6. 2. 1. Role of trust .................................................................................................................. 55 6. 2. 2. Data-related education .................................................................................................. 56 6. 3. Final analysis and discussion ............................................................................................... 58 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................. 64 LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH .............. 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................... 70 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................... 75 3 LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, APPENDICES AND ACRONYMS Tables: Table 1: Participants’ socio-demographic information .......................................................36 Figures: Figure 1: Top media brands in Belgium...............................................................................29 Figure 2: Top trusted media brands in Belgium...................................................................30 Figure 3: Coding tree ...........................................................................................................41 Appendices: Appendix I: User interview guide........................................................................................75 Appendix II: Consent form...................................................................................................78 Appendix III: Drop-off Questionnaire.................................................................................79 Appendix IV: User interview Concept maps.....................................................See CD-ROM Appendix V: User Interview Transcripts...........................................................See CD-ROM Appendix VI: Expert Interview Transcripts......................................................See CD-ROM Acronyms: PSM Public Service Media VRT Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie RTBF Radio Télévision Belge Francophone EBU European broadcasting Union CRM Customer Relationship Management DPO Data protection officer 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Data is seen as an effective tool to generate power in the contemporary society. The media sector, including public service media organizations, is widely benefiting from the new opportunities and an enormous potential acquired with the arrival of Big Data and datafication processes. Media organizations have received the opportunity to get a much closer look in the personal data and behaviors of their online users as well as to track the consumption of media goods and services online. However, the established approach to data in the media sector tends to exclude the social world of ordinary users by focusing on the data-driven business value for the media organizations. Moreover, such approach overlooks the needs, attitudes and desires of online media audiences who are increasingly confronted with the data-steered power. In this regard, this Master thesis examines the relations between the user agency and the datified online media environment from the two perspectives. Taking a user-centered approach, this research examines users’ understanding of data-related processes on the public service and commercial media platforms as well as users’ attitudes in the form of trust and reliance towards the media institutions in the context of their data activities. Additionally, the research takes a critical perspective by examining the attitudes of public service media institutions in Belgium on the problem of users’ data literacy and trust. Qualitative in nature, this research has utilized in-depth interviews with users that revealed a certain lack of understanding with the underlying reasons, motivations and attitudes, as well as expert interviews that generated the insight in the problem from the media institutions’ perspective. Having undertaken a cross-analysis of users’ perceptions and the public service media experts’ attitudes, this research reveals three points of conflict in the relations between users and media institution in the context of their data power, as well as key conclusions deriving from these conflicts. The research acknowledges