Realigning incentives through formal media, communications and platform governance

Governance measures in response to the business strategies and operations of digital platforms are proliferating in countries and regions around the world. They are a departure from approaches to governance that prevailed historically in the media and communications industries. This chapter reviews ex ante and ex post tools of governance that are being deployed in Europe and in the United States. The expectation is that the outcomes of the application of competition law and various sector-specific regulations will bring the behaviour of commercial platforms into alignment with public values. The likelihood that contemporary digital governance will achieve desired outcomes is discussed and commitments to growing digital economies and achieving leadership in digital innovation, especially in artificial intelligence, are shown to predominate, notwithstanding the aims to uphold fundamental rights and protect individuals from harm. The need for a shift in governance priorities to reflect societal, not mainly individual, interests is emphasised.