It made me think of Californian ideology. For those of you who haven’t heard of it –it comes from an article by Barbrook and Cameron published in Mute magazine in 1995 and it’s basically an ideology evolving around technology being able to fix anything. According to Aibnb’s above advertisement – is this a platform that can save the world?
Platforms such as Airbnb drive the digital economy forward. Airbnb runs a marketplace where hosts can rent out their houses. Its nonprofit project, Airbnb.org, provide free housing to people in need. Despite its seeming altruism, is it really?
The video highlights qualities like generosity, community, and inclusiveness rather than profit or the platform’s effect on property markets. This storyline draws attention away from the platform’s profit-driven basis and presents Airbnb’s crisis management role as normal – even essential.
Barbrook and Cameron critiqued such occurrence. They think it assumes that everyone has equal access to technology and that the internet alone can fix big problems.
By presenting individual hosts who provide accommodation, Airbnb.org highlights the superstructure – the intellectual and cultural framework that supports and explains the economic system. These hosts are portrayed as unselfish contributors to a worldwide solution, which is consistent with the concept of “techno-utopianism.”
‘Information technologies, so the argument goes, empower the individual, enhance personal freedom, and radically reduce the power of the nation-state. Existing social, political and legal power structures will wither away to be replaced by unfettered interactions between autonomous individuals and their software.’
Barbrook and Cameron, 1995
One of the main issues is that hosts don’t know who is going to stay at their property. Since it’s voluntary, there’s a third party taking care of booking details. Some hosts seem to be unhappy with this solution.
Hosts are being compensated by various organisations supporting Airbnb.org idea or offer a discounted rate for those in need stays. However, are the hosts actually prepared to handle such difficult situations? People in need tend to be different customers than regular Airbnb users due to their urgent circumstances/states. They tend to be distressed, whereas, some hosts might not be equipped enough to deal with such difficulties.
Additionally, there are costs like utilities, homeowner’s insurance, and a cleaning charge that Airbnb will not pay for. Airbnb benefits from free PR and the satisfaction of having assisted thousands of people without charging them anything. In the meantime, the host may experience some property damage or other liabilities. The liability is almost passed onto volunteers instead of reliable sources.
Recently, I came across McChesney’s book: “Rich media, poor democracy: Communication politics in dubious times”. It inspired me to write this post since I believe that the Polish community has a great understanding of McChesney’s words. Poland, as a nation, is highly aware of what he was worried about – about who’s delivering the news.
Media being non-political and independent is a crucial part of democracy. Polish media is (or was?) very politically influenced which has a big impact on media delivery.
In recent years, TVP’s main evening news broadcasts, and TVP Info, became a propaganda machine for the PiS government, and the new coalition, led by pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk, had promised voters to turn state media into a platform for “reliable information”.
McChesney in his book highlights that how media functions in nations should be a much bigger topic. It is worth our attention as it affects the opinions of many people and
“plays (…) a central role in (…) having an informed and participating citizenry”.
He highlights how “a media system should serve the entire population and promote democratic rules”. Does Polish media follow this thinking? Let’s find out.
The media in Poland today is mainly shaped by capitalist principles. But this hasn’t always been the case in Poland’s media landscape. The majority of the media was under state control throughout the socialist period, which ended in 1989. Private media enterprises grew as a result of Poland’s shift to a free-market economy following the fall of communism.
Despite this shift, the influence of the past socialist system could still be seen in the media landscape even resulting in acts that might be considered as propaganda (highly politically motivated and driven) up until recently.
Source: Notes from Poland (2021) – in translation: The Donald Tusk’s campaign of lies
TVP is a public broadcasting channel (government-controlled) that is known for its strictly political influence and drive. TVP media accounts for about one-third of the broadcasting market in Poland. Ultimately, despite a variety of channels to choose from – TVP remains one of the biggest and most influential, channels in Poland.
In 2021, TVP provided almost 100% negative coverage of former opposition (during PiS’s governance) leader. Headlines such as “Tusk in the club of Putin’s friends”, casually headlined Wiadomości (TVP’s main news programme) the day after Tusk’s return. Moreover, The National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), whose members are controlled by PiS allies, has used its licensing powers to intimidate different broadcasters such as TVN.
Major reforms have been implemented in several industries after the 2023 election (a change in the ruling party). In the past, Poland was moving towards a similar direction to that of Russia or Hungary where political forces are gaining more control over the media and endangering democratic norms. However, Poland’s current Prime Minister, Donald Tusk (yes, the one getting hate on TVP), has made protecting media independence and making changes a top priority in order to guarantee more freedom and transparency in Poland’s media environment.
Today in Poland, the Donald Tusk government broke the rule of law and sent armed police to raid the public broadcaster & violently shut it down.
TVP was PiS's mouthpiece, but this kind of behavior is something that happens in Moscow, not Warsaw.
Therefore, Poland experienced some changes and its media space is a better place for everyone now. Previous acts, however, were in line with McChesney’s idea, which emphasises how media that is excessively influenced by economic and political factors can sabotage informed discourse and public benefit by serving specific agendas rather than encouraging diverse, democratic conversation.
Younger generations who rely more on the internet and social media platforms for news have access to a broader range of viewpoints and global events. However, for many older people, TVP and even TVN present (or used to) a narrow, politically charged view of the world, focused heavily on national political disputes. This limits the potential for diverse, informative news coverage.
In Poland, the media landscape prevented people from engaging with global issues and understanding the full scope of what is happening in the world. The focus on political ‘news’ at the expense of other important topics further perpetuates a narrow, one-sided perspective.
Have you heard of this controversy before? Let me know in the comments if You’d like me to elaborate on the topic of Polish broadcasting scene.
Last weekend, a friend from home came to visit me, and she thought of watching a TV show she was dying to see. I didn’t recognise the name when she said it. It turns out that the third season premiere has made it a viral show in Poland right now. We were excited to binge-watch it, however, it was not available on UK Netflix.
We tried to find it online. Sadly, it was only accessible on Amazon Prime and similar platforms for £1.89 per episode. My flatmate advised using a VPN to watch it through Polish Netflix when I asked him for help.
During summer, I had a similar situation when I wanted to continue a series I started at home and discovered that I would have to pay an additional £20 to watch it in the UK. Although I’ve always considered streaming services in the UK to be more extensive, this shocked me by reminding me that different countries always offer different and, personalised to their audience, shows.
This made me consider the role that streaming has in Polish culture. TV is ingrained in my family’s everyday routine and serves as more than just entertainment. In my home, the television turns on at 6 a.m. and stays on until 11 p.m. Netflix has grown to be a major part of it.
Poland’s top shows are dominated by crime dramas, political thrillers, and documentaries, reflecting its more serious culture. However, children’s programmes also score highly, proving that Netflix is often a family activity. It has evolved into a platform where people of all ages may find something they like.
source: Netflix search
When I first arrived in the UK, I was shocked to find out that the most watched shows there typically fit into completely different categories. Programmes like Love Island seem to be the most talked-about and watched shows. Instead of going for more complex stories, these shows focus on reality TV and relaxing entertainment. On the contrary, every time I heard from my friends back home about a new TV series that everyone in Poland is watching – it’s always something serious/scary/thriller-y or documentary.
TV series: 1670, source: NetflixTV series: 1983, source: IMBD
Polish-made series reflect Polish taste in filmography – they are mostly dark, mysterious, historical, thriller/action-based, emotional, dramatic, ominous or violent.
Some of the most popular Polish-made TV series are: – High Water – 1670 – 1983 – Sexify
Polish Netflix’s aim to provide stories that represent Poland’s history, cultural values, and cinematic tastes is demonstrated by its regional choices. At the same time, Netflix in the UK appears to have a more escapist and entertainment-focused interest. These differences highlight how important it is for streaming services to customise their material to local audiences rather than providing a universal, same for everyone, selection.
I asked my friends whether there’s anything they think is not available for them on major streaming platforms – they all answered no. All of their go-to streaming platform is Netflix. Netflix’s ability to adapt its material to other regions is spot on. In addition to a wide variety of American and other television shows, Polish audiences can enjoy local productions that appeal to their tastes.
