Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 8, 2021

The Journalistic Profession in the Changing Structure of Communication and Its Future Direction

(Abstract)

Jiang Hua and Zhang Taofu

A combination of structural factors has gradually moved traditional journalism from the periphery of the social system to its center, a shift that eventually led to the “closure” of the communication structure. Digital media based on meta-technology broke down fixed professional barriers, deconstructed the closed communication structure, and went on to foster the rise of hybrid journalism. This new form of journalism comes from making technology more “humanized” and “intelligent,” and making humans more “technological” and “mediatized.” It allows human and non-human entities to interact closely and work together with new technological factors of production at the core. Technology has become an important player, and “linking” “opening” and “process” are becoming prominent features of future journalism practice. “Weakly structured news reproduction,” which is open, connected and highly volatile, has gradually replaced the relatively closed, stable and “strongly structured news reproduction” formed in the era of mass communication. In this changing communication structure, journalism is in a highly uncertain state. Seeking relative certainty amid infinite uncertainty has become a huge problem for the current and future practice of journalism.