(geen titel)

Mathilde Sanders

I conduct qualitative research, supervise, develop and give lectures and organize workshops for professionals and students, to raise their awareness of existing (decentralized and open source) alternatives to big tech. Through this I contribute to the design of a value driven, socially responsible and human-centered online environment. In the pursuit of more digital autonomy, I want to work with Dutch news media and other public organizations to explore the possibilities of jointly developing ‘our own’ (local) digital infrastructure. I contribute to this through my expertise in (social) media ownership, business models, journalism and platform governance. I enjoy analyzing media, writing, publishing, inspiring media leaders to innovate, and taking their leadership and entrepreneurship to the next level.

Publications and other academic output:

Sanders, M. & van de Vrande, V. (2025). The owner-market fit and responses to competing logics. Journal of Media Business Studies.
Sanders, M., & van de Vrande, V. (2024). Value creation in interdependent digital and analogue markets. Journal of Media Business Studies, 1-29.
Sanders, M. & Van Dijck, J. (2025). Decentralized Online Social Networks: A review of technological and organizational choices and their public value trade-offs, In: José van Dijck, Karin van Es, Anne Helmond, & Fernando van der Vlist, F. Governing the Digital Society: Platforms, Artificial Intelligence, and Public Values, Amsterdam University Press.
Sanders, M., Ruijer, E. & Van Dijck, J. (2026). What Alternatives for Social Media do Public Organizations Need? Developing a Value Proposition for Public Service Social Media Design | Digital Government: Research and Practice Digital Government and Practice.
Sanders, M. & Van de Vrande, V. (2026) Markets, lower echelons and owners as brokersof coalitional attention ->> last minor review
http://www.rathenau.nl/en/digitalisation/harmful-behaviour-online
https://www.aup-online.com/content/journals/10.5117/2018.046.002.005

Conferences, lectures, workshops, or other presentations;

European Media Management (Emma) conference Lappeenranta (2026)
AoIR symposium Bremen (2025)
ECREA Communication & Democracy (2025) Rotterdam
PUBSIC Utrecht (2025)
Re:publica Berlin (2024)
Public Governance (2023) Utrecht
Modern Bigness conferentie (2024) Utrecht
Media Industry conferentie Londen (2024)
Public Spaces conferences Amsterdam (2022-2026)
Bristol interaction group (Nov 2023)
Emma conferentie (2023) Pamplona, Spain
ICRES (2023) Utrecht

Projects:

Utrecht University postdoc in stakeholder collaboration project around PubHubs group with partners such as Waag, PublicSpaces, SURF, NPO, KB, Beeld & Geluid (among others) in collaboration with Radboud University.
OPWO workshop with stakeholders (also including stakeholders above) with self-raised funding from SIDN Fonds. In collaboration with patient federations MIND, Kanker.nl, national public broadcaster VRPO Tegenlicht, Openbare Bibliotheek, RPO regional public broadcaster. https://www.uu.nl/nieuws/workshop-online-publieke-waarden-omzetten-opwo
Developing new course based on the Spinoza grant financed research under the title ‘Democratizing Platforms: Public Values & Social Media’, 2024-2026 at Erasmus University Rotterdam ESHCC. https://www.eur.nl/en/eshcc/electives-media-communication
Teaching in the following course(s) – Master & bachelor thesis and (research) intern supervision on topics related to my Spinoza funded research at Utrecht University between 2023-2026:

Thesis Track Public Administration and Organisation Science
Master’s Thesis in New Media & Digital Culture
Research Internship New Media & Digital Culture
Guest lectures at USBO Utrecht University School of Governance for the course ‘Digitaal transformeren: werken met AI, Big data en algoritmen in de publieke sector’ (June 2024)
Guest lectures RMeS Research master programme “Platformisation: Transforming key economic sectors and spheres of life”
Education for Professionals in the media industry: Lectures and OPWO workshops (2024-2026) for groups of directors, editors in chief, and middle management layers of RPO (Regional Publieke Omroep), Dutch public broadcasters in the course ‘Leiderschap in Media’ –https://professionals.uu.nl/nl/cursus/leiderschap-in-media
Education for Professionals: AOG School of Management – lecture and workshop at ‘Digitale Transformaties’ course 2026
Participation in PublicNodes project by Waag, attending several workshops with Dutch newsmedia and Stimuleringsfonds voor de Journalistiek in spring 2026
Expert session attendance for ministries such as BZK Burgerdialogen (3 maart 2026) and Raad voor het Openbaar Bestuur (ROB) expertmeeting (8 oktober 2025) and others.
Launch and first phase of research project on ‘Digital Dependence on Big Tech’ at Rathenau Institute; https://www.rathenau.nl/sites/default/files/2025-07/Achter_de_macht_van_big_tech_Rapport_Rathenau_Instituut.pdf
Advice to Parliament on DSA and DMA:
https://www.rathenau.nl/sites/default/files/2021-05/Rathenau_Instituut_Bericht_aan_parlement_De_toekomst_van_online_platformen.pdf
https://www.rathenau.nl/sites/default/files/2021-09/Bericht_aan_parlement_De_toekomst_van_online_platformen_%282%29_Rathenau_Instituut.pdf

Media interviews / articles:

We all hate social media and we’re all still here (03-03-2026) Bianca Ferrari – https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/we-all-hate-social-media-and-were-all-still-here
European social media alternatives exist. Why do’t they have more users? Eglė Krištopaitytė (05-02-2026) – https://cybernews.com/tech/european-social-media
Magazine van Apache #22 Nieuws maken zonder big tech, het kan. (01-03-2026) paper magazine can be ordered here: https://shop.apache.be/

Online version of article here: https://apache.be/2026/06/12/nieuws-zonder-big-tech-zo-bouw-je-je-eigen-informatiesnelweg
Jaarverslag DPG Media 2025 “DPG Media kent nu een unieke governance” –https://jaarverslag.dpgmediagroup.com/2025-nl/redactionele_onafhankelijkheid
Opinie Volkskrant: Journalisten en wetenschappers moeten hun werk als de donder bij big tech weghalen (10-08-2025) – https://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opinie/opinie-journalisten-en-wetenschappers-moeten-hun-werk-als-de-donder-bij-big-tech-weghalen~b1a1dcd6
“Met RTL Nederland breidt het Imperium van DPG nog wat uit” (16-12-2023) Jan Debackere, De Morgen

Podcasts and video interviews/appearances:

Podcast Media Industries on Spotify: “Streamers and European Film and Television / Large Language Models in Game Narratives / Building a Decentralised Online Social Network” – on the work of PubHubs (pubhubs.net), a Dutch project building a decentralised online social network based on the public values of privacy, security, user friendliness, and inclusion.