Journalism’s use of social network: comparative analysis between Brazil and Spain

Abstract

Current journalism is facing various changes associated with adapting information to theinteractivity offered by the internet. With Web 2.0 and the consolidation of the horizontal and bi-directional communication model, the roles of the transmitter and receiver continuously alternate, leading to the appearance of “prosumers”. The arrival of interactive digital platforms has led to a substantial change in the relationship between people and the media. In a constantly updating social environment, journalists are exposed to feedback from the audience who want to be participants in the information process. This communication scenario stimulates the evolution of this paper, whose object is to analyse media profiles and learn about the characteristics of their publications. We have tried to identify the conversational parts included in the messages that make up the media timelines through a methodology based on content analysis. In order to prove the hypothesis of a lack of use of the interactive potential of social networks by the cyber media, the cases of two Brazilian newspapers’ (Folha de São Paulo y O Globo) and of two Spanish newspapers (El País y El Mundo) have been studied in Facebook and Twitter, trying to establish a parallel between both countries. The results reveal a predominance of messages that are merely referential in Twitter while in the messages uploaded on Facebook a stimulus to conversation is more often found. The timelines of the newspapers are updated more regularly on the microblogging network, a platform frequently used for live coverage.