Platforms in Journalism 4.0: The Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the News Industry

Robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, blockchain, virtual and augmented reality are becoming widespread in our society. These technologies have triggered the fourth industrial revolution and will bring about profound changes in social relations, working life, politics, the education system, the economy and journalism. In this context, digital platforms play a key role. Given that these devices are reorganizing cultural and social processes on a large scale, we can speak of the emergence of a platformization of society. This transformation will require new skills, new products, new environments and new business models. In particular, it will affect the relationship between the public and journalism, its financing, its revenue-earning channels and its news production processes. This chapter will analyze how the fourth industrial revolution will affect journalism from a business and structural point of view.