Technological and economic developments have led to the
availability of an overwhelming quantity of digital content. Therefore,
it has become crucial, in particular for media content providers, to
incorporate algorithmic gatekeepers, which filter, rank and
recommend content. Are these algorithmic gatekeepers undermining
media’s contribution to epistemic welfare?
In ALGEPI, we start from the novel concept of epistemic welfare,
defined as the individuals’ right to know and be exposed to
trustworthy, independent and diverse information while respecting
individual rights to their own data. By connecting legal, political,
technological and sociocultural perspectives, we will develop a
conceptual framework for epistemic welfare.
This framework will allow us to understand the effects of algorithmic
gatekeepers on epistemic welfare. The new interdisciplinary research
program will build on multi-method empirical research applied to
algorithmic gatekeepers. Thanks to the theoretical and empirical
findings, we will be able to develop normative instruments to align
algorithmic gatekeeping with epistemic welfare.
Taking the novel concept of epistemic welfare as a starting point
allows all project partners to embark on a joint, integrated exploration
of the concept. This may lead to a paradigmatic shift in the
conceptualization of the impact of algorithmic gatekeepers in media
sectors, proposing to expand the notions of media pluralism and
consumer welfare to epistemic welfar.