Learning cultural profiles on collaborative learning: the case of Finnish multi-platform youth content

Abstract

By experimenting with new kinds of working arrangements, public broadcasters attempt to ensure their future audiences while facing heavy competition. This article considers the role of collaborative learning in audience retention by comparing the methods and views of audiovisual workers from differing media cultures and diverse generational age groups. Drawing on the theoretical-methodological frameworks of organisational learning and developmental work research, the study identifies four different learning cultural profiles. The ethnographic data is collected from a multi-platform youth campaign of the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle. It included employees’ own reflections on their learning. According to the findings, Yle’s employees recognised most of the characteristics of innovative learning culture. Yle’s audiovisual specialists from the studio production team were keen to serve the audience, although they were left aside from the core social media team. Media employees with fixed-term contracts were in the most vulnerable position in collaborative learning. Especially the young beginners from the commercial production company had no means of questioning their subordinate status. The article suggests that in moving towards a more co-creational working culture, becoming acquainted with the audience should be a shared strategic objective for the whole collaborative media production team.