Abstract

Critics have pointed at new technologies as culprits in the decline of civic life, neighboring and social capital construction in Western societies. When applied to community design and planning processes, technologies can empower residents to actively engage in decision-making, foster connections across social groups, with positive consequences on life and socialization in public spaces. What kind of participation do technologies foster? And is it the kind that bridges social and ideological divides? The 2012 community design process for Hawthorne Park in Medford, Oregon illustrates many of the challenges and opportunities connected to the use of new technologies in design. In the process, technologies were instrumental in enlisting a larger-than-usual number of residents to participate in the design of the park. Blogs and online questionnaires were successful in gathering people׳s thoughts on the design choices being made, but also favored a limited, intermittent form of engagement. The results are synthesized in principles for the successful integration of web-based technologies in future community design efforts: adaptability, full participation, nuanced participation and the need for links to the physical realm.

Abstract

Teenagers have a close relationship of complicity with television, tainted by narcissism: only exist for them evident, agreeable and gratifying things. A serious and useful analysis requires outlining the profile of the teenagers today, as well as the environment of relationships, interaction and communication. Spare time defines a new level of consumption in Media which the school is far away to assume. Media literacy develops reading and writing kills. It is not merely a matter of analyze on a critic way the messages, media and television products, but also to create platforms for production. Educators, youngsters, students, social workers and journalists create a network which ensures media literacy. The eyes of the youngsters are glued to the television screen, and the environment of the school has to be the place for dialogue and analysis of this consumption. School and leisure time need to build the necessary bridges so that the youngsters may become critical citizens and participate in a healthy audiovisual consumption.

Abstract

Audience participation in any of its forms and denominations [public journalism, citizen journalism, participatory journalism, user generated content (UGC), etc.], seems to revitalize democracy. Public discussion is possible thanks to information and communication technologies. The reality, however, shows that the audience does not include participation among its priorities. Active audiences remain rare, and journalists’ hegemony is unlikely to be called into question.

Abstract

Visiting libraries and documentation departments is a common activity in information management teaching and training programs. However, these visits very often lack the necessary elements tomake them productive training experiences and not merely social activities. Prior preparation and identification of the students’ objectives and responsibilities, planning that ensures the visits are dynamic, andthe subsequent evaluation and sharing of the new ideas generated are some of the essential factors that foster reflection, critical thinking and participation.

Abstract

With desktop availability of electronic publications, researchers have reduced significantly their visits to libraries. A new role for librarians is described: their integration into academic departments, becoming part of research teams. They would perform tasks such as information searching for projects, database management, uploading documents to repositories, writing reports, building and maintaining web sites, preserving datasets, etc.

Abstract

Some aspects that have characterized the evolution of online media over the last year are analysed, paying special attention to pending matters still to be addressed. Since the advent of the internet, media have delegated their survival to technological innovations, and 2014 was no exception. Data journalism, robot journalism, and hi-tech journalism..., are some of the labels devised for different technological models by online media worldwide last year. However, user-centred innovations are the most creative and potentially successful ones.

Abstract

The Department of Health of the Government of Andalusia provides professionals of the Andalusian Public Health Care System  a collaborative working environment (Entorno colaborativo de trabajo  [ECT]) based on the principles of web 2.0. The ECT is organized into communities, understood as sets of people with a common interest who share a space with its own information and collaboration tools. This space is managed and powered autonomously by the communities themselves. This paper analyzes the use and degree of implementation of the ECT, considering the user communities and activity statistics in 2009 and 2010. From the data obtained we deduce that instrumental services have easier acceptance than collaboration and knowledge management services; content generation is focused on a small number of users; and communities associated with organizational units have less development than those associated with work areas or projects.

Abstract

In recent years the digital media have opened their doors to so-called citizen journalism. Nevertheless, far from some declarations that present the reader as another journalist, the reality is very different. This article compares the sections of informative participation in four digital editions of printed newspapers from 2009 to nowadays in order to analyze two aspects: whether the media frankly trust the readers, beyond inviting them to play at being journalists; and what is the reader’s response.

Abstract

The objective of our study is to measure the visibility of the Spanish press in Menéame, the most important social content manager in Spanish, during 2007 and the first quarter of 2008. To this end, the number of news items published in Menéame is counted and averaged with votes and comments received, focusing on the evolution of the five media with a greater presence; finally, the obtained ranking is contrasted with that of OJD Interactiva. The most represented newspaper is El País, followed at a certain distance by El Mundo and 20minutos and, farther behind, La Vanguardia and El Periódico de Catalunya.