The impact of communicating digital technologies

How information and communication technology journalists conceptualize their influence on the audience and the industry

Bibliographic Data

ID12656285
AuthorsStefan Geiß (0000-0002-8978-0095, University of Mainz, Germany, corresponding author), Nikolaus Jackob (University of Mainz, Germany), Oliver Quiring (0000-0002-6671-583X, University of Mainz, Germany)
Year2012
Volume15
Issue7
Pages1058-1076
Publication date2012-12-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1461444812465597
OpenAlexW2152876975
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited17

Information technology is ever-changing. Information and communication technology (ICT) journalists play a significant part in diffusing, explaining and interpreting these new technologies and in forging the societal understanding of future trends, influencing both their audience and the developers they cover. They are important gatekeepers and their coverage is – most likely – decisive for the success or failure of new products. To explore this function of ICT journalism, an online survey of 102 ICT journalists in Germany was conducted, including 32 journalists in managing roles. This study focuses on two research questions: (a) how do ICT journalists perceive their relationship to and their effects on the audience; (b) how do journalists perceive their relationship with and their effects on ICT manufacturers? Our findings suggest that ICT journalists picture themselves in a key role as clandestine deciders who shape the audience’s consuming behaviour, as well as developers’ strategies for designing products

Advertising · Audience participation · Business · Digital era · Function (biology · Information and Communications Technology · Journalism · Media studies · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Technical Journalism · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Communication and Language · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Media Studies and Communication