communication models of institutional online communities: the role of the abc cultural intermediary

Communication models of institutional online communities: the role of the ABC cultural intermediary

Jonathon Hutchinson

ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCi), Queensland University of Technology

jonathon.hutchinson@qut.edu.au

@dhutchman

The Problem…

How do online communities and public service broadcasters collaborate on the production of

cultural artefacts?

Theoretical framework

• Peer production (Benkler 2006)• Participatory Cultures (Jenkins 2006)• Produsage (Bruns 2008)• Meritocracy (Malaby 2009)• Bureaucracy (Kreiss et al. 2011; Weber

1983)• Distinctive innovation (Cunningham 2013)• Cultural intermediation (Bourdieu 1984;

Negus 2010)

Theory to practice

• Decentralised activity through ICT technology – UGC

• Participatory cultures within media organisations

• UGC at the ABC – ABC Pool• Editorial and regulatory issues• Institutional online communities

Institutional online communities

“an online community operating within a public, commercial or non-commercial institution and not an open, independently facilitated online community” (Hutchinson: 14, forthcoming)

How then to manage IOC within PSB?

Cultural Intermediation

• Human and non-human actors• Coding, platforms, design etc.• Enable/disable certain functionality• Usually the work of community manager• “The combination of all of these human and

non-human actors as they negotiate cultural artefact production is described as cultural intermediation” (Hutchinson: 5, forthcoming)

Methodology

• Ethnographic action reseach• Participant observation• Focus Groups• Interviews

ABC Pool [abc.net.au/pool]

ABC Pool users

ABC Pool Community Manager

Cultural Intermediary

Institutional Online Community Governance

Conclusions

• Institutional online communities• Community Manager• Cultural intermediation• Multiple forms of cultural intermediation• Institutional online community governance

models

Jonathon Hutchinson

jonathon.hutchinson@sydney.edu.au

@dhutchman