News Journalism and Twitter Disruption, Adaption and Normalisation

This book provides a critical account of the impact of Twitter on journalism, exploring how the news media has adapted to and normalised the use of the platform in the industry. Offering a comprehensive understanding of Twitter uses for journalistic purposes, this book explores the platform’s use as a ‘global village’, as an ambient news environment, and as a global marketplace. Drawing on two empirical case studies (United Kingdom and Greece), Dagoula examines academic conceptualisations of Twitter, journalists’ self-perceptions, and uses of the platform by a variety of media outlets and journalists. Adopting an evolutionary approach known as punctuated equilibrium, which consists of three stages of disruption, adaption, and normalisation, the author reveals the costs and benefits of Twitter’s impact on both the institutional values and practices of news journalism today. News Journalism and Twitter is an invaluable resource for researchers and students of digital journalism and media studies.

List of figures List of tables Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1. The two dominant views of Twitter and news journalism 1.1. Twitter as enabling and benefiting news journalism 1.2. Twitter as distorting news journalism Chapter 2. Punctuated equilibrium: disruption, adaption and normalisation 2.1. The institution of news journalism and punctuated equilibrium 2.2. Disruption as a commonplace event Chapter 3. What news journalists say about their use of Twitter 3.1. Qualitative approach: research interviews 3.2. Questionnaire themes concerning the evolutionary impact of Twitter on news journalism 3.3 Journalists’ evaluation of Twitter’s costs and benefits to news journalism Chapter 4. From disruption to normalisation: journalists’ accounts on Twitter (2009–2021) 4.1. An account of the participants 4.2. The participants’ first Tweets: 2009–2011 4.3. The ‘presentation of self’: how the participants chose to display their biographical information 4.4. Account core features: account activity, use of hashtags and mentions and formatting tweets and textual choices Chapter 5. An evaluation of the direct and indirect costs and benefits of Twitter to news journalism References

Chrysi Dagoula is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies, University of Groningen, Netherlands.