Digital news consumption in an age of mobile media: experience of two countries

Abstract

The paper presents a study of media in the Republic of Belarus and People’s Republic of Bangladesh with focus on the news consumption in an age of mobile media. Mobile access to the Internet is changing the way people consume information, yet we know little about the effects of this shift on news consumption. The research provides empirical evidence of the effects of mobile media. We argue that attention to news on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones is not the same as attention to news for those on computers. Using online audience data, we find that over the past year, the mobile news audience has indeed surpassed the desktop news audience in size. Based on interviews with digital journalists in the Republic of Belarus and People’s Republic of Bangladesh about their daily work experiences, the paper outlines entry points for understanding what it is like to labor in networks of highspeed information production and circulation. This paper provides reflective analysis of technological forces which are transforming the media industry in two countries in an era, where the pace of change is leaving many familiar concepts outdated.