Archipelagic journalism
Media distribution strategies in Indonesia's island communities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22092823 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Muliadi Mau (0009-0008-6062-6589, Hasanuddin University, corresponding author), Muhammad Ihlasul Amal (State University of Makassar), Muh Medriansyah Putra Kartika, M Kartika (Universitas Sulawesi Barat), Alem Febri Sonni (0000-0002-6785-5033, Hasanuddin University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-17 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2297-900X • E-ISSN: 2297-900X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fcomm.2025.1682498 |
| OpenAlex | W4417417759 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
This study examines how geographic constraints constitutively shape digital journalism practices and community access to information in Indonesia's archipelagic landscape. Despite growing scholarly interest in media geography and digital journalism, existing theoretical frameworks inadequately address how archipelagic geographies characterized by physical island fragmentation, extreme cultural diversity, and infrastructure inequality fundamentally alter journalism practices beyond simple constraint models. Through 18-month ethnographic research (March 2023–August 2024) across six eastern Indonesian provinces, this study employed systematic multi-method qualitative research: semi-structured interviews with 45 journalists strategically sampled across diverse island contexts (provincial capitals, secondary cities, small towns, and remote islands), extended participant observation in island communities (18 research sites), and comprehensive infrastructure analysis mapping transportation networks and technological connectivity patterns. The purposive sampling strategy ensured maximum variation across geographic isolation levels, infrastructural development, and cultural configurations, enabling robust comparative analysis of archipelagic journalism mechanisms. This research introduces “archipelagic journalism” as a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding how geographic fragmentation shapes news production, distribution, and consumption. Findings demonstrate that successful journalism in archipelagic contexts requires hybrid distribution networks integrating digital platforms with traditional transportation routes, community correspondent systems that bridge formal and informal information flows, culturally adaptive content strategies that respect linguistic diversity, and a hyperlocal focus that prioritizes community relationships over market scale. The study makes three distinct contributions: theoretically, it extends media geography scholarship by demonstrating geography as constitutive rather than merely constraining journalism practice; empirically, it provides the first systematic documentation of adaptive strategies across diverse Indonesian island communities; practically, it offers transferable frameworks for media development in geographically fragmented contexts globally, with significant implications for journalism studies, media policy, democratic communication theory, and climate change adaptation as geographic inequality intensifies
Archipelagic state · Digital media · Glocalization · Grounded theory · Indigenous · Journalism · Participant observation · Qualitative research · Scholarship · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Media Studies and Communication
MediaSpace
Citizen Journalism
Putting “Place” in the Center of Journalism Research
Thematic Analysis
Local Journalism
MediaSpace
The Rise of the Network Society
Ethnography
Community Media Studies
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Navigating the Scholarly Terrain
The View From Here
Creating a Community Public Sphere
Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research
| Highly cited | No |
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