Time and Date: April 15, 3-4pm CEST
Examining the State-Platform Nexus in the Governance of Online News in India
Simran Agarwal
In just over a decade, research on platform governance has uncovered a multitude of actor networks, mechanisms, and values that shape online speech and businesses. However, existing models of platform governance tend to examine this story from one of two ends – either the governance of platforms by the state or the privatised and sociotechnical governance enacted by platforms. This limits our understanding of the dynamic state-platform nexus that governs online speech and businesses in illiberal democracies like India. My thesis research adopts a three-pronged platform governance framework to explore how the Indian state and platforms conflict and complement one another in governing the online news industry in India. A second intersectional aspect of this research investigates how digital news publishers of varying capacities perceive and negotiate the different forms of platform governance present in India. This work is grounded in and interposes between critical political economy, media governance, and platform studies.
This talk will reflect on the theoretical and methodological foundations underpinning this research. More specifically, it will emphasise the mixed-methods approach I employ to answer the above research questions. This involves a combination of 1) document analysis of diverse state and platform policies and public communications, 2) semi-structured expert interviews (with the Indian state, platforms, various news organisations, and civil society actors), and 3) purposive ethnographic observations. The discussion will demonstrate how this combination of methodologies enables a deeper and more comprehensive investigation of the intricate state-platform governance mechanisms and interests at play. Finally, this talk will also highlight the challenges and advantages of such an approach, and of conducting research within this geographical and political context.
Presenting Author
Simran Agarwal is a doctoral candidate at the LabEx ICCA at the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, France. Her research, titled ‘Platform Governance and the Political Economy of the Digital News Industry in India,’ looks at the distinct forms, mechanisms, and interests of platform governance that shape digital news speech and industry in India. Simran has held visiting positions at the Department for Media Studies, University of Amsterdam (2023) and Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi (2024-25). Prior to her doctoral work, she worked at the Centre for Policy Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
About the Series
This talk is part of the series Behind the Scenes – Conversations on Empirical Platform Governance Research that invites scholars in this field to share their experiences and views, fostering community exchange about how we can study platform governance in this challenging context. It is hosted by the Lab “Platform Governance, Media, and Technology” (PGMT) at the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), University of Bremen, and the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies, University of Groningen.
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