While journalists were once viewed as gatekeepers, dispensing news and information via one-way communication channels, their role as information provider has evolved. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the social networking site Twitter, where information seekers have unprecedented access to information providers. The two-way communication that these information seekers have come to expect can be challenging for organizations such as ESPN who have multiple Twitter accounts and millions of followers. By designating one team of people as responsible for the organization's largest Twitter account, SportsCenter, ESPN has sought to establish manageable methods of interacting with this account's followers, while furthering the goals of the organization and providing sports news around the clock. This study provides a better understanding of the group responsible for ESPN's SportsCenter Twitter account: the motivation and strategies behind the group's Twitter use as well as the dynamics of this network, such as information flow and collaboration. Relying on the Information Seeking and Communication Model, this study also provides a better understanding of information exchanges with those outside the network, specifically a selection of the account's Twitter followers. Additionally, the role of journalist as information provider and certain themes that emerged from the content of the tweets are discussed. The research employed social network analysis and exploratory, descriptive case study methods. The results of this study contribute to social network and information theory as well as to journalistic and information science practice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc862743 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Norris, Tiffany D. |
| Contributors | Schultz-Jones, Barbara, Zavalina, Oksana, Kim, Jeonghyun, Phillips, Robert |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Norris, Tiffany D., Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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