Research agenda and groups
The current research agenda at JMG is an extension of the department’s strong traditions while also incorporating a renewed research profile of greater breadth. Research efforts have a strong international profile and the lion’s share are conducted in collaboration with international colleagues and research networks.
Research agenda
JMG’s researchers continue to explore short and long-term changes within journalism, media and communication, and to conduct studies of institutional structures and concrete practitioners, identities, norms and ethics, and content, representations, genres and forms of communication in various sectors and multimedia contexts.
The department’s broad experience and expertise in terms of historical media studies, large-scale surveys, experimental studies, ethnographic surveys, automated content analyses, discourse analyses and studies of written and spoken communication provide the necessary conditions for new multi-methodology approaches.
Today, the various research groups (see below) pursue research on: (1) changes and challenges within professional journalism related to developments in media technology and new business models; (2) crisis and risk communication from a civil and societal perspective; (3) media use and media importance in people’s everyday lives; (4) the development of public relations in relation to digitalisation, marketisation and other structural transformations; (5) how politics are communicated in social and media contexts and their importance to power and democracy; and the media’s impact on public opinion, public perceptions of society and political involvement.
Research areas
Digital culture and digital media
In recent decades, the media landscape has undergone extensive development, with digital media creating new conditions for both the production and consumption of media and media content. Digital media permeate people's lives and are present in all parts of society. Research on digital culture and digital media at JMG thus spans a broad area that encompasses both production and consumption, content, and media structure.
Media audiences and media use
People's use of various media is central to both the users themselves and to the media and the development of society. This applies to both traditional news media and digital media and apps. Different media and genres fulfill various needs and functions for users, while media are in turn dependent on users for their impact and economic viability. Media use is also important for the development of society, as media of various kinds constitute a central source of information and platforms for discussion.
News and social journalism
Journalism is in a transformative phase where media technology innovation, new information flows, and pressured economic conditions are reshaping its core and its future. The legitimacy of journalism is under pressure and its fundamental values are partly threatened. The development shows how journalism meets challenges in new forms of work, new forms of storytelling, and in its relations with the audience.
Political communication
Politics is ultimately about communication. Political communication between political leaders, authorities, media, and citizens is therefore of great importance for politics and its conditions, for the media and their coverage of politics and society, and for citizens and their knowledge, perceptions of reality, and opinions. It is therefore of great importance for democracy and the way it functions.
Risk and crisis communication
We live in a society characterized by various risks and crises, where knowledge about these is crucial for society's preparedness. JMG's research on risk and crisis communication has a clear citizen and societal perspective and touches on issues based on theories of democracy, power, culture, technological development, and adaptation, norms, and institutions. A central part concerns mediated communication as media and journalism play a crucial role in society's risk and crisis management.
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