Epistemic Welfare: A framework for Public Service Media in the Algorithmic Era

Higher Seminar with Hilde van de Bulck, Drexel University (Philadelphia)

As public service media (PSM) navigate the digital transformation of the public sphere, characterized by datafication, algorithmization and platformization, some of its longstanding commitments including universality and democratic discourse are tested. This talk introduces epistemic welfare as a normative framework – inspired by social epistemology and welfare theory - for the evaluation and guidance of how PSM can engage with algorithm-based technologies in ways that strengthen citizens’ epistemic agency. The framework is illustrated using the case of algorithmic recommender systems. By situating recommenders within PSM’s legacy of content curation and outlining five key epistemic standards (reliability, power, fecundity, speed, and efficiency) the talk explores how epistemic welfare can inform both the design and governance of recommender systems. Ultimately, it argues that aligning algorithmic infrastructures with the goals of epistemic welfare equips PSM to respond constructively to the epistemic disruptions of the digital public sphere.