Computer Supported Collaborative Work trends on Media Organizations: Mixing Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

Abstract

There is a growing concern in the financial world regarding the lack of resources for the sustainability of media related enterprises. The increasing cost of computing resources and data storage have crucially established the deployment of cost-saving and high-effective technologies. The aim of these technologies should be the support of teamworking. The work environments of the media organizations typically remain stable despite the development of internet. Our purpose was to investigate journalists’ and media professionals’ beliefs regarding Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and groupware effectiveness in work routines, based on their experiences. We used a mixed method analysis in the participants’ sample. The participants were randomly selected senior and junior journalists/media professionals, head officers, chief editors and assistants, in two groups of 11 and 12 participants each. In conclusion, the need to improve our understanding of groupware in journalism practice has been recognized, not least because of the risk of “technology illiteracy”, unemployment and isolation. Simply importing training techniques from non-journalistic disciplines has not resulted in improved news publishing.