The Future of the Press: Insights from the Sociotechnical Approach

Abstract

In Europe and the United States, the decline of newspapers started long before the advent of the Internet. However, the spread of the Internet has accelerated this decline. But is the future of newspapers really endangered? To answer this question, the authors propose that a reflection on the insights the sociotechnical system perspective, drawn from organizational studies, can offer for media research. The authors first analyze four of the main principles of the sociotechnical perspective: open systems, dynamic stability, optimization of technical and social functions, and control of boundaries. They then employ these analytical tools to examine the power relationships between journalists, the publishers, editors, and the audiences. The sociotechnical approach proves to be an interesting approach for the interpretation of the changes occurring in the journalism and for the elaboration of future solutions and management strategies.

Keywords:

• Internet
• journalism
• long-term strategies
• online newspapers
• print newspapers
• sociotechnical system

Notes

1. See http://www.naa.org/search.aspx?search=decrease%20of%20employees

2. This increase has recently shown a relative decrease in several industrialized countries.

3. According to the Directive on Recognition of Professional Qualifications (2005/36/EC), “liberal professions” are “those practised on the basis of relevant professional qualifications in a personal, responsible and professionally independent capacity by those providing intellectual and conceptual services in the interest of the client and the public.” Here we suggest that outsourcing and the use of user-generated contents (often produced by young people) deeply changed journalism into a precarious and dependent job.

4. The three main criticisms of Italian respondents were as follows: (1) Journalists want to impose their personal point of view when describing facts, so they are biased; (2) they are obsequious toward powerful persons; and (3) it is increasingly more difficult to understand what they write.