Technological development of online media in Latin America. The case studies of emol.com, clarin.com, prensalibre.com. and jornada.unam.mx

Abstract

The development of the information society, globalisation and technology has generated a process ofadaptation in news companies. The technological evolution has produced notable changes in theproduction, distribution and reception of information. Not all media companies and countries have facedthis reality in the same way. Many have been conditioned by the economic and political issues thatdetermine this process. In the case of Latin America, there are differences that respond to thedevelopment level of the different countries and regions, and this highlights the existence of a digitaldivide. Based on four case studies, this article addresses the technological evolution experienced by fouronline news media companies from different Latin American countries: jornada.unam.mx (from Mexico),prensalibre.com (from Guatemala), emol.com (from Chile) and clarin.com (from Argentina). Theobjective of the study is to measure the impact of technology in journalism throughout Latin America inorder to detect the structural differences. The study is based on the answers of the directors of theaforementioned online news media companies to a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory interview. Theinterviews took place between March and June 2011. The analysis of the results shows that there has beena remarkable progress and adaptation to the needs of the Latin American Society in recent years, but thatthere are also differences in terms of development levels according to the economic situation of thedifferent countries, which conditions these companies’ forecasts for their technological investment andinnovation in the near future.

Keywords: technology, online media, production, distribution, reception.

Submission date: 2011-09-28

Acceptance date: 2012-01-12