This article explores the influential yet underexamined role of media agencies in the digital media ecosystem, particularly within the news media sector. Media agencies shape the public sphere by directing advertising budgets toward specific platforms, thereby contributing to the platformization of media. Drawing on interviews and industry sources, the study shows that media agencies are heavily involved in digitizing, tracking, and commodifying audiences, while also recognizing the ethical concerns this creates. The article calls for greater political scrutiny and critical research into the democratic consequences of emerging value chains linking platforms, advertisers, media agencies, audiences, and news organizations.

Heritage institutions increasingly incorporate social media logic into their efforts to digitize archival sources. This study is based on an ethnographic exploration of the National Library of Israel’s (NLI) digitization endeavors, with the aim of understanding how the transition from analog to digital materials aligns with the principles of platformization. By conducting observations, examining reports, and interviewing NLI professionals, we shed light on the pervasive influence of social media logic within public sector institutions, such as the National Library. We argue that the digitization process of archival documents is a form of platformization, and its impact is evident even before the content is disseminated, exposed, and uploaded to social media platforms. Furthermore, our analysis underscores how social media logic is a guiding force behind the NLI’s digitization strategy, encompassing the selection of materials and the construction of a digital archive for future generations.