Does Netflix teach us to be better Europeans? Czech scientists are also participating in an international project on European identity

The international research project EUMEPLAT has been launched on 1 March 2021. It aims to study how media platforms such as YouTube, NewsFeed or Netflix influence our perceptions of “Europeanity”.

The international consortium of the project – which focuses on how media deal with European identity – also involves a scientific team from the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, led by Extraordinary Professor Nico Carpentier.  “This project is a unique opportunity to study how media platforms or TV series on streaming services contribute to the ideas that we have about Europe and what it means to be European,” comments Carpentier.

It is also a success for media studies as a scientific field in the Czech Republic. The project is implemented within the largest and most important European program for financing academic research, Horizon 2020. And Czech Republic-based media scholars are among the leading researchers for the first time.

The three-year project involves 12 research teams from ten countries. Such cooperation will allow researchers to share knowledge about changing media landscapes across Europe, from Italy and Spain to Germany and the Czech Republic to Belgium, Sweden and beyond. The title of the EUMEPLAT project stands for “European Media Platforms: Assessing Positive and Negative Externalities for European Culture”. So-called platformization refers to the process of changes in the architecture of the Internet, which has led to greater centralization of power and content.

“We’ll be looking at anti-European fake news, the representation of immigration and gender in Europe, and the struggle between US-based platforms and European policies,” explains media theorist Carpentier. The project points out that the European dimension has never been very visible in media. This manifests itself at various levels in the so-called creative industry. The film industry counts more on national productions or cultural imports from the most influential countries, while American companies own web platforms.

The interdisciplinary approach will include a historical analysis of the European media and its legislation; and a theoretical prediction - grounded in data - to highlight possible changes in the European media landscape. “We will be able reach a deeper understanding of what European culture and media mean in the 21st century,” closes Carpentier.

Contact for more information:

Miloš Hroch

milos.hroch@fsv.cuni.cz

Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism

Faculty of Social Sciences Charles University in Prague