Online media, population and

economicsFacing the relationship between media brands and social indicators in Spain

MANUEL GAGO / magago@usc.es

New Media Research Group

University of Santiago de Compostela

Online media, population and economics

Thinking in the ecosystem

• Size the dimensions of the online media map

• Compare it with the landscape of traditional media

• Find possible gaps between prereleased media and new, exclusively online media

• Explore cultural, linguistical, content diversities on the web

1

Online media, population and economics

Thinking in the surface of research

• Spain• EU state• 19 self-governated territories

(Autonomous Communities)• 4 official languages (Spanish [total],

Basque, Catalonian & Galician [partial])

• 40 million inhabitants

2

Online media, population and economics

Trying to answer social questions

• Is it possible to develop a methodology which allows to relation online media stats and social indexes?

More population generates more media?

More wealth generates more media?

More individual wealth generates more media?

More Information Society generates more media?

…and is there any relation between Information Society, wealth and diversity?

3

Online media, population and economics

The how-to’s

The tool: Infotendencias (Infotrends)

It’s an online database, which connected in real time the work of all the group

5 research groups with fixed territories

The cataloguing of online media was divided in three main basis:

+Location and geographical information

+Conceptual and contact information

+Format, original version, publish cycle, specialization parameters

4

Online media, population and economics

The how-to’s

Online media (def):

Content source with a will to mediate between the events and the public, mainly through journalistic criteria and techniques, using multimedia language and updated and published in the Internet

5

Online media, population and economics

The how-to’s

Generate the map:

+degree of autonomy from the traditional media map

+degree of suiting to particular interests of public

Comparison with European Union Structural Indicators

+wealth (GDP / GDP per capita)

+population (Inhabitants)

+Information Society variables (Internet access; household Internet access)

6

Online media, population and economics

Results

Strict relation with traditional media ecosystem

+The 80% have an original version in press, radio and TV

+Online papers synchronize their publishing cycle with the original version

+They evolved from facsimilar delivering to a complex, news site layout

A

1274 ONLINE MEDIA

Online media, population and economics

Results

Online media, population and economics

Results

A 40% of media are focused in a particular area of knowledge

There is a thematic gap: Web: Culture, Arts, Entertainment, Leisure, Tourism,

Economy, Communication & Journalism

Traditional: Politics, Economy, Culture, Society & People

A break out among generations? The consecuence of an embrionary stage?

B

THROUGH THE WAY OF SPECIALIZATION

Online media, population and economics

Results

YES

There is correspondence between Population, general wealthness and diversity of media

NO

There is not an apparent correspondence between GDP per capita or IS variables

Pearson coefficient

c INERTIAS, TRADITIONAL, POPULATION (I)

Online media, population and economics

Results

YES

Proximity to big decission and power centers makes influence on diversity of media

NO

There is no connection between specialized media and richer territories

c INERTIAS, TRADITIONAL, POPULATION (II)

Online media, population and economics

Results

Exclusively online media maintain the same levels of diversity in relation to population or GDP than original analogic media ones. The ecosystem do not change with the new online editors. Territory, population, social variables are very strong.

c INERTIAS, TRADITIONAL, POPULATION (III)

Online media, population and economics

An open door?

Z

Find standard rates and methodologies which explore the relation of media and social indicators

Online media, population and economics

THANKS

MANUEL GAGO

magago@usc.es

New Media Research Group

University of Santiago de Compostela

(GALICIA)

SPAIN