The Professional Identity of Journalists in the Context of Convergence Culture

Authors

  • Mark Deuze Indiana University/Leiden University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS242008216

Keywords:

journalism studies, media work, professional identity, convergence culture

Abstract

Convergence is not just a buzzword, it is a key identifier of many different trends in today’s digital culture. In this essay I explore the context and consequences of media convergence for a professional identity of journalists. Convergence in this context is not just a technological process, amplified through digitization. Media convergence must also be seen as having a cultural logic of its own, blurring the lines between different channels, forms and formats, between different parts of the media enterprise, between the acts of production and consumption, between making media and using media, and between active or passive spectatorship of mediated culture. Although many of these developments have been addressed in recent scholarship, little theorizing has taken place on the level of the work environment and professional context of journalists, reporters, and editors. A identidade profissional dos jornalistas no contexto da cultura da convergência Convergência não é apenas um termo na moda: é um indicador-chave de várias tendências na cultura digital dos nossos dias. Neste artigo é explorado o contexto e consequências da convergência de media sobre a identidade profissional dos jornalistas. Convergência, neste contexto, não é apenas um processo tecnológico, amplificado pela digitalização. Convergência de media deve igualmente ser considerado um fenómeno com uma lógica cultural própria, tornando difusas as linhas entre diferentes canais, formas e formatos, entre diferentes partes do meio empresarial mediático, entre os actos de produção e de consumo, entre produzindo media e consumindo media, e entre formas activas e passivas de audiência de cultura mediatizada. Ainda que muitos destes desenvolvimentos tenham sido abordados na actividade de pesquisa académica, pouca atenção tem sido dedicada a teorizar o ambiente de trabalho e o contexto profissional dos jornalistas, repórteres e editores.

Author Biography

Mark Deuze, Indiana University/Leiden University

Associate Professor, Department of Telecommunications, Indiana University (USA); Professor of Journalism and New Media, Leiden University (The Netherlands).

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Published

2008-11-20

How to Cite

Deuze, M. (2008). The Professional Identity of Journalists in the Context of Convergence Culture. Observatorio (OBS*), 2(4). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS242008216

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 4 (2008)

Section

Articles

License

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