Tech threat to writers, says BBC chief
British creative industries ‘being squeezed out’ as new wave of technological change sweeps world
TIM DAVIE will warn that “British storytelling” is being “squeezed out” by international streaming services that put the future of the BBC at risk. In a speech this week, the BBC’s director-general will also warn that algorithms generated by foreign-owned social media platforms will become the “taste-makers of the future”, dictating global viewing.
Mr Davie will warn of the dangers facing the BBC and other UK broadcasters while stressing the need for it to thrive to maintain a “healthy democracy” in the UK.
The threat to British broadcasters comes from a “new wave of technological change” which is “reshaping our media landscape”, Mr Davie will say in the speech delivered to the Royal Television Society on Tuesday.
“Misinformation is weakening our shared understanding of the world, undermining trust in our society and our democratic processes. It leaves many of us wondering who and what we can believe.”
He will also promote the need for British broadcasters to remain at the forefront of global TV markets. “British storytelling is at growing risk of being squeezed out in an extraordinarily competitive global media landscape,” Mr Davie will say.
“We are in danger of allowing the UK’s world-class creative industries to be undermined and diminishing our unique cultural identity and its remarkable influence worldwide.”
Mr Davie will also blame global social media platforms for fuelling “polarisation and social division… with US and Chinese algorithms the potential taste-makers of the future”. He will say: “Shared moments and unifying cultural experiences are increasingly rare.”
The world’s most used social media platforms are all Chinese or American, with an estimated 22 million Britons using the Chinese-owned TikTok, for example, at least once a month.
A TikTok spokeswoman said the BBC maintains multiple accounts on the app. It denies it is a tool of the Chinese government.