Abstract
Advances in mobile phone technologies have changed the way news is consumed and created. Accordingly, this relates to three specific areas: 1.) people turn to their phones to consume news content, 2.) people use their phones to create news content, and 3.) news organizations are making accommodations based on these changes. In particular, research indicates an increase in the number of people who use their phones to access the news. In addition, given the availability of faster connections and phone-based multimedia capabilities, individuals now play a role in the creation news content. News organizations are taking notice and have adopted ways in which to utilize mobile phone capabilities, both in terms of the distribution and creation of news content. Suggested future research involves examining consumer use of more than one digital device at a time.
TopOverview
Researchers have long examined advances in mass media technologies and how they change the way people consume media content. Early studies include an examination of how people used videocassette recorders (VCRs) to take control of their media experience by viewing recorded television programs (Lin, 1993). Scholars also examined audience use of cable television and the impact of multiple program choices (Jacobs, 1995). Research concerning podcasting looked at the same capabilities associated with VCRs and cable TV (control and program choices) plus the mobility of programming based on the use of a portable digital media device (McClung & Johnson, 2010). In particular, this chapter discusses how mobile phones relate to news content. This includes news consumption, news creation, and news organization accommodations. Although the topic of mobile phones and news consumption is still in its infancy, there are scholars who opened to the doors for the opportunity to explore a topic such as this. This includes the work of Dr. Louis Leung from the University of Hong Kong and Dr. Ran Wei from the University of South Carolina (see Leung & Wei, 2000). Another pioneer also includes Dr. Rich Ling (2004) from the University of Copenhagen. Today, Oscar Westlund (2008, 2010, 2014) is a leading expert in the area, and Ran Wei (2013, 2014) continues to contribute valuable knowledge to this body of literature.
Key Terms in this Chapter
News Production: The creation of news content.
Traditional Media: Any form of mass communication available before the advent of digital media. This includes television, radio, newspapers, books, and magazines.
SMS: The text messaging service component of a phone, the Web, or mobile communication system.
User Generated Content: Content created and distributed by users of digital media.
Mobile Phone News: News content that can be accessed through the use of a mobile phone.
MMS: The text messaging service component of a phone, the Web, or mobile communication system that include multimedia.
News Distribution: The distribution of news content.
News Content: News available in written, auditory, visual, or any combination of the before mentioned formats.
Digital Media: Electronic media that are encoded in a machine-related format.
Digital News: News content available through the means of digital media.