Introducing the panspectric challenge: A reconfi guration of regulatory values in a multiplatform media landscape

Taking Sweden as a case study, the role of public service broadcasting (PSB) is explored, with a focus on issues of data retention and innovation that accompany web distribution. Th e issue of predicting audience preferences by means of data retention is investigated, and the related problem of organizational autonomy when interacting with commercial actors in the digital sphere. We hypothesize that previous tendencies towards paternalism might be equally supplemented by ten- dencies towards so-called “panspectric” surveillance and tracking, given a technological environment where such practices are increasingly common. We argue that the absence of advertising partially helps keep these broadcasters from panspectric temptation. Still, practices such as Facebook integra- tion entail a panspectric element. We ask whether the potential increase in the effi cacy of targeting audiences promised by panspectric practices might be off set by its negative impact on civic account- ability. Is there a possibility for a “benign,” democratically accountable panspectrocism?