La sostenibilidad de los medios a través de los conceptos de engagement y relevancia: scoping review

Llúcia Castells-Fos; Carles  Pont-Sorribes; Lluís Codina

doi:10.31921/doxacom.n35a1627

Authors

Llúcia Castells-Fos University Pompeu Fabra, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1124-7941
Carles Pont-Sorribes University Pompeu Fabra, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1135-4245
Lluís Codina University Pompeu Fabra, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7020-1631

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n35a1627

Keywords:

Digital journalism, engagement, sustainability, media business, systematic review

Abstract

The concepts of relevance and engagement provide an approach to understanding new media companies’ search for a new sustainability model. This new model must complement the advertising revenue with subscriptions. The media need to ensure various sources of funding. They must regain relevance and maintain engagement with their audience; this paper presents the results of a scoping review. The objective is to identify and synthesise the academy’s vision concerning the relevance and engagement applied to the sustainability of journalism. The academy analyses the innovation processes in news media outlets in-depth and attempts to leverage its business model through paying users. The results show a growing interest in the media’s economic feasibility due to the demise of the advertising-based business model. The in-depth analysis of engagement shows the academy’s lack of a defined consensus, although new research has made valuable contributions. Moreover, there are significant differences between professionals’ and academics’ visions. Although to a lesser extent, Relevance is present in the sustainability debate through the visibility and trust that media brands bring.

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Author Biographies

Llúcia Castells-Fos, University Pompeu Fabra, Spain

A researcher from the doctorate programme in Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona. She has a master’s degree in digital communication from the Barcelona School of Management. She is a collaborating researcher in the DigiDoc Research Group from the Department of Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the Observatorio de Cibermedios (OCM). Her PhD centres on the study of innovation and sustainability of journalistic companies focused on the digital sphere, which is linked to journalism’s role in strengthening democratic systems and fighting against disinformation. She is part of the working group in a competitive project within the R+D+I plan in which several universities participate, currently waiting it to be granted. She is currently working in the Training and Universities division in Grupo Planeta.
Carles Pont-Sorribes, University Pompeu Fabra, Spain

PhD in Social Communication is a lecturer in the Department of Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona. He is currently Dean of the Faculty of Communication. Director of the Ideograma-UPF and Chair in Political Communication and Democracy. He has made scientific contributions to various international journals and is the author of the books: “Comunicar las emergencias”; “Comunicación y Opinión Púbica”; and “Comunicación y Crisis”, among others. He is the principal investigator of the project “Crisis and emergency communication in Social Media”. A study of its use in Spain and the design of information protocols for institutions and media (COMCRISIS) was
granted and funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Reference PID2019-109064GB-I00). He has participated in numerous competitive research projects and in projects for the transfer of knowledge.
Lluís Codina, University Pompeu Fabra, Spain

PhD in Social Communication is a lecturer at the Faculty of Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona and coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Social Communication (MUCS) of the Department of Communication at the same university. He also teaches at the Barcelona School of Management-UPF. He is a cofounder and member of the editorial team of the academic journal Hipertext.net. He is the coordinator of the Research Unit in Journalism and Digital Documentation (UPF), as well as director of the Observatorio de Cibermedios, dedicated to monitoring the trends and curating content on digital journalism. He is the principal investigator (coIP) of the project “Creation and interactive content in audiovisual information communication: audiences, design, systems and formats” (CSO2015-64955-C4-2-R (MINECO/FEDER), Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain)).

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