Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Toward Media Environment Capture: A Theoretical Contribution on the Influence of Big Tech on News Media

  • Sebastian Sevignani*
  • , Hendrik Theine
  • , Mandy Tröger
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Publication: Scientific journalJournal articlepeer-review

Abstract

This study aims at offering an overarching theoretical frame for analyzing different forms of direct and indirect influence of Big Tech on news media. It does so by expanding the concept of media capture to media environment capture. The latter provides an analytical tool that helps categorize various patterns of Big Tech’s influence on news media (as institutions) leading to the capture of information environments that journalism (as a practice) needs to work (well). The concept makes clear that tech giants do not simply capture “the news” or news media by means of acquiring media outlets and/or by producing and distributing the news. Instead, media environment capture stresses that Big Tech influences entire information environments, consequently shaping our lifeworld while privatizing the public sphere.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)804-824
Number of pages21
JournalInternational Journal of Communication
Volume19
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 (Sebastian Sevignani, Hendrik Theine, and Mandy Tröger). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd). Available at http://ijoc.org.

Keywords

  • Big Tech
  • information infrastructures
  • journalism
  • media capture
  • news media
  • public sphere

Cite this