The internet as a cultural forum: Implications for research

TY - JOUR

T1 - The internet as a cultural forum

T2 - Implications for research

AU - Jensen, Klaus Bruhn

AU - Helles, Rasmus

PY - 2011/6/1

Y1 - 2011/6/1

N2 - Twenty-five years ago, Horace Newcomb and Paul Hirsch proposed a model for studying television as a cultural forum, as the most common reference point for public issues and concerns, particularly in American society. Over the last decade, the internet has emerged as a new communicative infrastructure and cultural forum on a global scale. Revisiting and reworking Newcomb and Hirsch's classic contribution, this article: first, advances a model of the internet as a distinctive kind of medium comprising different communicative genres - one-to-one, one-to-many as well as many-to-many communication; and, second, the article presents an empirical baseline study of their current prevalence. The findings suggest that while blogs, social network sites and other recent genres have attracted much public as well as scholarly attention, ordinary media users may still be more inclined to engage in good old-fashioned broadcasting and interpersonal interaction. Despite a constant temptation to commit prediction, future research is well advised to ask how old communicative practices relate to new media.

AB - Twenty-five years ago, Horace Newcomb and Paul Hirsch proposed a model for studying television as a cultural forum, as the most common reference point for public issues and concerns, particularly in American society. Over the last decade, the internet has emerged as a new communicative infrastructure and cultural forum on a global scale. Revisiting and reworking Newcomb and Hirsch's classic contribution, this article: first, advances a model of the internet as a distinctive kind of medium comprising different communicative genres - one-to-one, one-to-many as well as many-to-many communication; and, second, the article presents an empirical baseline study of their current prevalence. The findings suggest that while blogs, social network sites and other recent genres have attracted much public as well as scholarly attention, ordinary media users may still be more inclined to engage in good old-fashioned broadcasting and interpersonal interaction. Despite a constant temptation to commit prediction, future research is well advised to ask how old communicative practices relate to new media.

U2 - 10.1177/1461444810373531

DO - 10.1177/1461444810373531

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1461-4448

VL - 13

SP - 517

EP - 533

JO - New Media & Society

JF - New Media & Society

IS - 4

ER -