The Implications of Digitalization for Job Descriptions, Competencies and the Quality of Working Life

Abstract

Radio and television program production are being digitalized, but we are still not very familiar with the implications of digitalization for journalistic professions. A qualitative case study was conducted in order to understand how journalistic job descriptions and competencies change with digitalization and how these changes are experienced in terms of the quality of working life. The results suggest that changes in job descriptions can occur in different ways: by transferring tasks from one job description to another, by fusing two or more job descriptions or by adding new tasks to the traditional job descriptions. Changes in competencies were brought about by the digitalization of production technology, changes in job descriptions and the emergence of new media and new working practices. The job descriptions of journalists became more post-bureaucratic, whereas those of editors remained bureaucratic. Especially changes in competencies were experienced as stressful. The interviewees also experienced that the quality of the programs had decreased, at least during the early phases of digitalization.