Media discourse in a hyper connected society: a comparison between media frame and Twitter discourse during media strike
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of news frames associated with traditional media and with Twitter discourse on social issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Using semantic network analysis, it identifies the role of new alternative channels as well as discussing ways of understanding and consuming news content in the changing media environment. Additionally, it focuses on the dominant Twitter communicators who rank high in betweenness centrality.
Findings
The results confirmed that traditional news media tend to superficially describe main events and media strikes without comment. They tended to consciously or unconsciously favor media corporations by engendering anxiety and conflict or by restraining reports on the rationales of the strike. Twitter discourse, on the contrary, positively represents the striker's arguments and frequently reveals support of the strike.
Research limitations/implications
The data set of this study was specialized, not generalized. However, the findings extend literature relating to the role of journalism and alternative channel. For example, this study indicated that the change of media environment has reinforced partiality of news, including both traditional and alternative channels.
Practical implications
The findings imply that the advent of new media does not purely represent a laymen's voice and rather tends to strengthen the partiality of media, including both traditional and new media, beyond selective exposure on content of the receiver.
Originality/value
By clarifying the influence of alternative channels, this study suggests the counterpart of traditional journalism in the near future.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Received 2 February 2013 Revised 27 May 2013 Accepted 2 August 2013. This research was supported by the Ministry of Education, Korea, under the Brain Korea 21 Plus Project (Grant No. 10Z20130000013).
Citation
Eun Cho, S. and Shin, D.-H. (2014), "Media discourse in a hyper connected society: a comparison between media frame and Twitter discourse during media strike", info, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 67-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/info-02-2013-0004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited