Convergence of technologies and journalists: Translation of journalistic practices through ANT perspective

Abstract

The field of journalism has always been inflected by technological disruptions that take place continually. Disruption ushered in by the digitalisation and convergence of media has changed the ways journalists perform their routine journalistic tasks. Non-human actants like mobile phones, smart phones, messaging apps, and social media among others have influenced journalistic practices in the realm of converged media. This research paper attempts to explore how smart phones, social media and other convergent media and related practices alter or translate the journalistic network of news production. To understand the phenomena, the researchers conducted in-depth interview with twelve journalists from the Hindustan Times and Hindustan Dainik, Lucknow and Dainik Jagran, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. The audio recordings of interviews were transcribed and coded as per the three stages of thematic analysis using qualitative data analysis software NVivo. Emerging literature on convergence journalism and actor-network theory has been invoked for analysis and discussion. The analysis shows that journalists from all three newspapers are adept at dealing with converged technologies and concomitant practices. News technologies like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, the content management software or central server (NewsWrap) and page-making software namely QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign have become prominent non-human actors performing the role of mediators. The attendant practices of these news technologies indicate substantial translation of the journalistic network in terms of how journalists do their work and how the resources of the organisation and the knowledge produced are coordinated.