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Diversity of Journalisms. Proceedings of ECREA/CICOM Conference, Pamplona, 4-5 July 2011
Maps of the Technologies Available in the Phases of the
Communication Process
María Ángeles Cabrera González*, Pedro Antonio Rojo Villada**, Ana Isabel Bernal
Triviño*
* University of Málaga, Spain
** University of Murcia, Spain
Abstract
Information technologies are a major source of diversity in journalism. Not only
because of the different media that arise, but the new dynamics of work and
introduction new of requirements imposed on expressive journalistic message (design,
writing...) The social context of globalization and new technologies have led to other
forms production, distribution and reception of information, three phases which divide
the process of journalistic communication.
Every day new devices and tools are added to those mentioned above in exponential
growth that sometimes appears to cause an excess of choices and opportunities that
journalists and the audience don´t know yet.
More specifically, the aim of this paper is to categorize new technologies in the
journalist work determine the impact they have had on each phase and the role these
new technologies play. In ours study we use a descriptive and exploratory approach to
structure the new technologies.
This list of technologies arises from two perspectives: from the media and from the
audience. In the phase of production we examine the impact of information technology
in pre-production, production and postproduction; in analyzing the distribution channels
-transmission technologies and formats; and finally, at the reception -performing a
registration of new portable devices or new media.
Introduction
Through out history the technology has been in the "center" of the development of the
media (Chisholm, 2010:4). Besides the positive considerations of this phenomenon,
some authors claim that new technologies have caused a "dramatic transformation" in
the media industry (Holt, Perren, 2009:101), and even that technology is responsible,
"partly or totally" for a"devaluation of journalistic standards" (Tsui, 2009:54). We agree
with Likes (2010:187) arguing that when compared with the changing technology,
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