Innovation and Media: Googlization and Limited Creativity

Abstract

In many countries, media are facing severe crises. This chapter examines how media companies have undertaken a process of innovation that has nevertheless been accompanied by limited creativity. First, a literature review will recall the fundamental definitions of innovation and present various works on media innovation. Second, we will show that the ongoing innovation process is mainly based on a new media model, which we have called “the media Googlization model.” Media Googlization focuses on a new digital management process that aims to take advantage of digital data, traffic, and advertising. This process represents a strong shift for media companies. Third, we will show that this innovation is a process of creative destruction with limited creativity. Indeed, media Googlization induces a destruction of media’s traditional economic model, with, of course, new features. However, this innovation is accompanied by limited creativity because the priority has not been to fuel creativity in the production of quality informational and cultural media products. We will show that digital development tends to lead less to new forms of quality creative content than to a new form of industrial system driven by Internet platforms and media Googlization. We will draw on the Swiss press to illustrate our analysis.