Abstracts of the 2014 winning papers are posted below.
First Place:
Paper accepted by the AEJMC Communication Technology Division
“Break it to Me Gently: Twitter Bypasses Traditional Media for Breaking News, But Where Does it Lead People Next?” Edson Tandoc, Nanyang Technological University; Erika Johnson, University of Missouri
Abstract: This study sought to determine the news consumption pattern of college students by asking where respondents get breaking news and where this source leads them next. Guided by the framework of niche theory and theory of relative constancy, we predicted that social media, particularly Twitter, is displacing traditional news media at least for the gratification of learning about the news first. The findings based on an online survey (N=224) supported this general assumption.
Second Place:
Paper accepted by the AEJMC Media Management & Economics Division
“Is Traditional Media Losing Audience?” Qianni Luo, Ohio University
Abstract: This study sought to determine several variables that may influence people’s choice to shift from old to new media. These included time spent on social activities, the structure of traditional media, the user’s gender, and use of social media. Based on the theory of uses and gratifications, logic of media economics, and time budget theory, all of those variables potentially influence people’s choice of the Internet over traditional media. A secondary data retrieved from Pew Research Center’s 2012 media consumption survey was used in this project. Twelve questions from the questionnaire regarding people’s media usage were mainly analyzed in this article. The results indicate that time spent on social activities, gender and the structure of newspapers influence time spent on the Internet.
Third Place (tie):
Paper accepted by the AEJMC Community Journalism Interest Group
“Seeing Community Journalism in Online News: Examining Status Conferral Processes in Digital Media Organizations” Myles Ethan Lascity, Drexel University
Abstract: Many scholars have hailed blogs and citizens journalists as a means of upending the traditional journalistic structure, however, users appear to prefer to channel their input through established media outlets. Few have attended to the question of why audiences – citizen journalists or causal readers – share news with established organizations when they could easily distribute the information themselves. This paper will argue that the same processes at the heart of community journal can help explain why individuals choose to align themselves with organizations rather than strike out on their own.
Third Place (tie):
Paper accepted by the AEJMC Electronic News Division
“The Rise of Online News Aggregators: Consumption and Competition” Angela M. Lee, University of Texas at Dallas; H. Iris Chyi, University of Texas at Austin
Abstract: While traditional news firms continue to struggle online, news aggregators (i.e., Yahoo News, Google News and the Huffington Post) have become a major source of news for American audiences. Through a national survey of 1,143 U.S. Internet users, this study (1) offers an in-depth look at the composition of news aggregator users, (2) proposes a theoretical model that examines demographic and psychological predictors of aggregator use, and (3) uncovers non-competitive relationships between three major news aggregators and major TV, print and social media news outlets. Such findings are at odds with industry sentiment, or hostility toward news aggregators and call for a reassessment of the role of news aggregators in today’s media landscape.
