Convergence and divergence of ICTs in Egyptian newsrooms: A longitudinal approach

Abstract

The convergence of information communication technologies (ICTs) in news-making processes has changed the nature of news production in post-Arab Spring Egypt. Several newsrooms have integrated ICTs into their daily routines to develop their content and reconnect with their audiences. Although on the surface this seems a positive development, it appears that today, just a few years after integrating ICTs, Egyptian newsrooms are lagging behind. This study examines the utilization of ICTs – especially social media – in three Egyptian newsrooms. Three waves of questionnaires in 2012, 2014/2015 and 2018 which constitute a longitudinal survey of ICT convergence across the three newsrooms. The questionnaires’ repetition of cross-sectional questions allowed the author to measure changes in newsrooms’ adoption of ICTs over this seven-year span. In short, this study measures how newsroom culture has changed in relation to ICTs, how newsroom management views ICTs and the growing role of social media in newsroom operations.