Social Media Economy and Newsroom Convergence in Egyptian Media

Abstract

In Egypt, for the past 20 years, several news organizations began to diffuse ICT resources in the news-making processes to attract a larger audience. Soon, the utilization of new technologies has altered the traditional newsgathering and production formats changing the nature of journalism practices and routines. The success of newsrooms, especially in post-Egyptian revolution era is measured in their ability to adopt, integrate, and utilize ICTs in all processes of production to satisfy their readers. This study focuses on the diffusion and implementation of social media in Al Ahram newsroom. Further, the study examines if/and to what extent and in what ways did Al Ahram newsroom incorporate ICTs in their daily routine. Other questions are as follows: What are the ICTs components that are diffused and adopted in the Egyptian print media?, What are the form(s) of networking among journalists and their networking strategy –if any– with their sources, editors and audience?, Is there a convergence strategy or strategies within the Egyptian newsrooms? And if so, what is it/are they?