Browsing by Subject "Qualitative network analysis"

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Lokale Kommunikation und Lokalmedien im Online-Zeitalter : Kommunikationsräume im Stadt-Land-Vergleich
(2021) Brückner, Lara; Schweiger, Wolfgang
Although the theoretical importance of the municipal level is undisputed, little research has been done to date on how local communication spaces are shaped in the online age. This is where the present study comes in and comparatively examines local communication spaces in urban and rural contexts. To this end, a theoretical framework based on sociological theories and (more recent) theories of the public sphere has been developed; it distinguishes between a structuring and an action dimension of communication spaces. The structuring dimension comprises macro-, meso-, and micro-level communication structures (e.g., competition in the local newspaper market or communication resources of actors). The action dimension comprises observable communicative action and can be characterized by two aspects: the communication networks of actors and their public communication with a large audience. Subsequently, n=49 guideline interviews with journalists and interest-led actors (politicians, administrative staff, active citizens, etc.) have been conducted on a total of six topics in three municipalities – two large cities and one small town. The actors were asked how they communicate with other actors and citizens on local political issues and what role traditional local media (still) play in this process. In all the communication spaces studied, the local or regional daily newspaper domi-nates as the most important local medium. From the point of view of the actors, the newspaper is still the central medium with which they inform citizens and reach people outside their topic-specific communities and filter bubbles. They also attribute to the newspaper a great influence on public opinion and – especially in the large cities – political decision-making. At the same time, the actors perceive that the newspapers reach is constantly decreasing and that they hardly reach young people in particular. Even if they are not seen as a substitute for local newspapers, online-only offers and blogs are useful channels for actors to address younger people who are particularly interested in the topic. In rural communication areas, actors who focus their public relations on traditional media and the press dominate. Digital tools and channels are hardly used – neither for public relations nor for communicating with other actors in the field. On the one hand, the actors argue with concerns about the users’ privacy; on the other hand they argue a lack of resources. For example, there is a lack of time and personnel to use additional online channels and to observe or even moderate user discussions. Another aspect is the lack of know-how of the mostly older local politicians, administrative staff, and journalists in dealing with digital tools. Actors who deliberately orchestrate different communication channels (online and offline, earned and owned media), digitally bring together knowledge and expertise from local, regional, and national networks and use these networks strategically for their public relations work are generally rare and predominantly found in urban communication spaces. Interest-led actors and journalists should make even greater use of the network logic of todays communication spaces. This means, for example, that interest-led actors should not only focus on journalists in their communication work but also on other central network nodes such as bloggers, politicians, and active citizens, and regularly provide them with information via topic-specific mailing lists. Journalists should make themselves visible as contact persons, adapt their work to the requirements of the respective communication networks - e.g., strengthen the voice of actors who receive little attention, bring together the arguments and positions of actors who have not been in contact so far - and more thoroughly examine options for (project-related) cooperation with other media in order to pool resources and create new buying incentives for readers by offering investigative content.