The Smartphone Hum-drum

Outline the four main elements of diffusion related to a single digital media innovation in your profession.

The journalism profession has evolved over time especially due to the priority shift from print to online content. Along with this, Katz (2011) stated how the digital era has become a threat to print media. However it is not only the way traditional news is being received that has changed, it is also the way reporters now gather information and package a news story (Katz,  2011).

Think back to a time when there were no tape-recorders or smartphones, where shorthand was the only way to try and capture every word said. Today recording video or audio and taking photos can be done with one device. Along with this the quality of the technology means that the content a reporter is collecting can be easily transferred for publishing purposes (BBC Journalism, 2014).

Using a smartphone has become part of a journalists equipment relied upon by most reports. This is also due to how fast news is required to be processed (Conde, 2014).

Through Everett Rogers theory of the four elements of diffusion a clearer insight into why the introduction of the smartphone has altered the way journalists report can be established.

Rogers (1995) described the diffusion of innovations as convergence through two-way communication. Through this understanding and communication people then decide whether or not to take on the new innovation within their daily lives.

The first element is the innovation itself. The mobile phone alone is not a new concept rather there are new additions added to the basic mobile phone enabling its user to do more. With the smart phone the innovation is that now the mobile device was a personal commuter (Rogers, 1995; Flew, 2014).   

From a reporter’s point of view the mobile phone can now record, take pictures and notes, all the components needed to compile an article (BBC Journalism, 2014). Another plus is that all this is done and stored in one device.

This creates certain problems as well; first if the phone is not backed up the interview recordings or images is lost. This is what Rogers (1995) called the consequences that come with any innovation where the consequences can be desirable and undesirable, direct and indirect and anticipated and unanticipated. These all refer to how the innovations change individuals or the social structure after it has been adopted.

The second element is the communication channel which looks at the passing of information through mediums such as mass media such as print, television and radio (Rogers, 1995).

This relates to the information received about what smartphones could offer through commercial, endorsements and sponsors.

However Rogers (1995) stated that it isn’t just this statistical/tech information that encourages others to adopt new innovations, rather it is the individual recommendations and evaluations that hold the most weight.This is why it is important that early adopters have positive reviews for the innovation as they are the best sale marketers.

The third element of diffusion is time. The rate the innovation is adopted is key and again heavily depends on the early adopters and then the majority of people who decide to try the innovation.

Most journalists didn’t adopt the extensive use of the smartphone until the pace required to delivering news quickened (Bullard, 2011). Along with this, the fact that news can happen at any time and the rise of citizen journalism almost inclined reporters to adopt this innovation to complete their work under tight schedules and limited equipment (Conde, 2014).

Due to this there are rarely late adopters of the smartphone in the journalism profession, with even the BBC providing online tutorials on how to utilize smart phones to the fullest (BBC Journalism, 2014). In these modules Marc Settle from the BBC Journalism goes through how to take quality photographs, audio files and video recordings ready for publishing.  

Flew (2014)highlighted that how well innovations have been adopted has less to do with the technical attributes and more to how easily the technology is to access and use. This is the case for how reporters’ reliance on smartphones has increased.

The fourth and last element of diffusion looks at the social system, which highlights how likely people are to adopt the innovation depends on the social structures, such culture, psychological and physiological factors (Flew, 2014).  As seen, utilizing the smartphone has fast become a cultural norm for journalists and is readily encouraged to obtain fast news (Katz, 2011).

By working through the four elements of diffusion a clearer insight to how and why smartphones have become an innovative technology relied upon by journalists for reporting purposes.

References

BBC Journalism. (2014, February 3) Smartphone Journalism: Audio. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ngvpZwxDg

Bullard, S. B. (2011). Journalism next: A practical guide to digital reporting and publishing. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 88(1), 215-216. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/864043316?accountid=26503

Conde, C. D. (2014). The new journalism and the demise of the old. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 24, 3. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1566376833?accountid=26503 

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Flew, T. (2014). New Media: An Introduction (4th. Ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Katz, J. E. (2011). Communication perspectives on social networking and citizen journalism challenges to traditional newspapers.Periodica Polytechnica.Social and Management Sciences, 19(2), 51-62. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3311/pp.so.2011-2.01  

Rogers, E.M. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations (4^th Ed.). New York: The Free Press.