Digital platforms and further challenges in public communication

Abstract

(Excerto) "Public communication and digital platforms" is the theme of this edition of the Brazilian Journal of Communication Policies (RBPC), a publication in connection with the Laboratory of Political Communication at the University of Brasilia (LaPCom/UnB). A group of national and international experts were invited to analyze and send in various contributions. A number of texts analysing the current state of public communication were selected from these contributions. These texts mainly focused on online radio and TV and how it (the web) has become a platform for producing, distributing and/or accessing content as well as an interactive channel for listeners, readers and viewers. This issue of the journal prioritized academic excellence and diversity, and was not restricted to only using concepts such as public broadcasting, public communication or public service media. The editors’ choice to do that was based on the fact that these concepts do not necessarily sum up the main point the RBPC wanted to make: how changes in technology have contributed towards conceptual and practical transformations in public communication channels. For example, what was previously referred to as public broadcasting (it occupied only the electromagnetic spectrum), is nowadays also referred to as public service media since it uses internet channels.