Digital Competencies for New Journalistic Work in Media Outlets: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Media organizations operate in a rivalry-charged ecosystem nowadays, as a consequence of emerging patterns of news production, distribution, and consumption. Furthermore, the growing of public social media manifestations and the arrival of digital journalism require new professional roles, responsibilities, and skills inside the media industry. In this context, Faculties of Communication need to equip students with the digital competencies that are relevant to new media outlets and journalistic work. Based on this approach, the main objective of this study is to answer the following questions: What does the literature suggest about the digital skills that new professional profiles should acquire in the field of journalism? Which dimensions of digital competence are gaining visibility and which dimensions are being neglected? To answer the scientific objectives, a systematic review has been carried out following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. The application of the two models of digital competence, Bloom’s taxonomy (1956), and digital competence in education (Redecker, 2017), serves as a framework in two ways: to determine the level of digital competence development, and to identify the dimensions on which greater emphasis is being placed. The results show a lack of studies linked to key aspects of digital competence, especially those related to personal growth, emotional state (Redecker, 2017), and the development of a deep level of acquisition of this competence (Bloom, 1956). This article proposes to reflect on whether we want to train professionals according to the model demanded by the media outlets nowadays, or whether we prefer to train communication professionals with a deep level of digital competence, since they are able to respond to the future and changing needs of the 21st century.