SOCIAL MEDIA ADOPTION BY ONLINE OF PUNJAB

Sonia Bansal1

This article discusses use of social media technologies by online newspapers of Punjab. 13 online newspapers (comprising 7 Punjabi, 5 and 1 ) have been included in this study. The websites of these online newspapers were accessed to ascertain the availability of social media tools on their sites. Study indicated that all the 13 online dailies of Punjab have embraced various social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, RSS and Tumblr on their websites to reach the audiences. Facebook and Twitter are popular social media tools used by maximum number of online dailies of Punjab. Rozana Lokbani ( ), Samachar and (Hindi language online newspapers) have used maximum number of social media tools. Keywords: Online newspapers, Social media, Facebook, Twitter, Punjab 1. INTRODUCTION The Internet has become the primary source of information for people intensifying their quest for instant and up-to-date information. The Internet has surpassed newspapers and radio in popularity as a source for news and now ranks just behind TV. About 1/3 of cell phone owners read news on their cell phones, and 37% of internet users disseminate news via posting on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter11. Due to the availability of digital platforms, news reading habits of people have changed and most of them prefer to read online news. In recent years, the number of users embracing Internet technology and social media to read news online has increased. According to ComScore report (2013)8, ’s daily readership of online news and information has jumped by 34% in the past one year8 to 9.4 million readers. Newspaper sector has witnessed tremendous changes after the growth of the Internet. Most of the newspapers have realize the potential of the Internet and started their online editions to disseminate 247 latest news to the audiences. Online newspapers eliminate barriers between readers and information by facilitating quick dissemination of information to them from any part of the globe.

1 Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Aggar Nagar, 141012, Punjab, India. E-mail: [email protected]

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After the growth of the internet, online newspapers have grown considerably. Paperboy10 has listed 11686 online newspapers on its website which is an indicator of the growing trend of online newspapers. Newspapers are also leveraging social media technologies because of their interactive features to disseminate news, attract more readers and to increase online readership. In a survey conducted by Associated Press Media Editors9, 97% respondents said their top priority for using social media is to grow their audiences and 92% said it is to engage readers. Similarly, a study by Reynolds Journalism Institute revealed that 84% of community newspapers use social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook to connect with the audiences6. Online newspapers in Punjab have also taken advantage of the Internet technology and embraced various social media tools to reach the audiences. The present study is conducted in order to examine the use of social media technologies by online newspapers in Punjab. 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Belam1conducted a study titled ‘Newspapers 2.0: How Web 2.0 is British newspaper web sites?’Author reviewed the websites of eight British newspapers (Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Guardian, Independent, The Sun, and The Times) in depth to identify where and how they are using social media technologies. Author examined their use of blogs, RSS feeds, social bookmarking widgets, and the integration of user-generated content into their sites. The findings of this study revealed that most newspapers have adopted most of the technologies to some extent. All the newspapers provide a range of RSS feeds on their websites. Author reported that there are still some areas where sites are very much Print 1.0 rather than Web 2.0. Brick Factory2 a Washington, DC-based digital agency conducted a study titled ‘American Newspapers and the Internet: Threat or Opportunity’? Study examined the websites of the top 100 newspapers, as determined by circulation (via the Audit Bureau of Circulations) and evaluated them based on the presence or lack of various online features. The findings of the study revealed increase in use of RSS in 2007 by 21% since 2006. Out of 100 newspapers, 96 were using this technology. About 92% newspapers offer videos on their websites. About 95% newspapers offer at least one reporter blog and 93% of these blogs allowed comments. About 1/3 newspapers allowed comments on articles. About 29% of the nation’s top 100 newspapers required users to register to get full access to

164 Information Studies Social Media Adoption by Online Newspapers of Punjab their websites, out of which 3 newspapers required a paid subscription and 26 required free registration. This study brought forward that the internet can be a powerful tool for newspapers. In order to realize the benefits of the web, newspapers must adapt their strategies and open their sites up to user participation. Another study was conducted by Brick Factory3 under the title ‘The Use of the Internet by America’s Newspapers.’ The findings of the study revealed that most newspapers have adopted a variety of Web 2.0 tools, including RSS feeds, online videos, podcasts, blogs, and others in an effort to retain current audiences, as well as to reach out to new groups of people via the Internet. A similar study was conducted by Brick Factory4 on the use of the Internet by Japanese newspapers. The research conducted on the 21 most widely circulated newspapers in Japan found significant lag in the adoption of Web 2.0 features by Japanese newspapers when compared to American papers. This study brought to light that Japanese newspapers are not using aggressive web strategies (except when it comes to cell phones), and are behind their American counterparts in terms of web offerings. Almost all of the Japanese newspaper sites had pages dedicated to mobile phone access. Only one Japanese newspaper required registration to read online content. Study concluded that the lag in the use of Web 2.0 features by Japanese newspapers is mostly the result of vast differences between the American and Japanese newspaper industries. Where Americans are more Web-focused in their methods of obtaining news, Japanese rely more on traditional media such as print news and television. Brick Factory5 conducted a study titled ‘The Presence of Magazines on the Internet’. The websites of the top 50 most circulated magazines were reviewed and evaluated on the basis of presence or absence of various Web 2.0 features. Study brought to light that magazines are not making use of Web 2.0 features. The most common web features offered by magazines include RSS feeds 48%, message boards/forums 46% and videos 30%. Of the top 50 magazines, only 14% use podcasts and bookmarking, 8% allow comments on articles and tags are used by 6% magazines. Despite their failure in terms of web features, it should be recognized that magazines have taken on a more effective strategy than newspapers when it comes to the Internet. Instead of replicating printed content online, as newspapers do, magazines have made efforts to publish unique, web specific and easily digestible materials on their websites. In this way, magazines are using the Internet as a supplement to, rather than a replacement of, their

Vol. 22, No. 1-4, January-October 2016 165 Sonia Bansal printed publications. Study concluded that magazines can expand their online readership by embarking on more aggressive web strategies and Web 2.0 to secure the industry’s position in the media marketplace. A survey of UK and US news providers was conducted by William and Nicholas12 in a study titled ‘The Migration of News to the Web’. Authors reported that American newspapers were exploiting the advantages of web information dissemination to a far greater extent than their British counterparts, with the notable exception of The Electronic Telegraph. UK broadcasters, however, generally appear to have adapted better to the new medium, with the BBC rivaling CNN in its depth and extent of news coverage, use of links and other elements. Dibean7examined the extent to which US daily newspapers are using available technologies, including multimedia and interactivity, for development of World Wide Web sites. Author found that most of the online newspapers have adopted innovations such as links to related information and consumer services such as searchable classifieds. As plug-in based technologies require the reader to have extra software on his/her computer to utilize the technology, therefore, technologies were not used by any of the online newspapers studied. Author reported that local and national online newspapers studied seem to be publishing the Web sites alone and, therefore, are limiting the services and technologies they can provide for their readers. It is not probable that any online newspapers will take up use of plug-in based technologies, such as Flash and Shockwave, or even RealMedia, unless they are made easier for the consumer to use. 3. OBJECTIVES This study is conducted in order to find out the extent of use of social media tools by online newspapers of Punjab. 4. METHODOLOGY A total of 13 online newspapers are covered. Out of 13 online newspapers, 7 are in Punjabi, 5 are in Hindi and one newspaper is in Urdu language. Punjabi language online newspapers are Ajit13, Di Awaaz14, Charhdikala15, Punjabi Jagran16, Jagbani17,Rozana Aashiana19, Rozana Lok Bani20, Hindi language online newspapers include Ajit Samachar18, Dainik Bhaskar21, Dainik Jagran22, Dainik Savera Times23, Punjab Kesari24 and Urdu online daily is Daily Hind Samachar25. The websites of all the online newspapers were browsed to study the use of social media tools.

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5. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Table 1: Social media tools used by online newspapers

Sr. Name of the Social Media Tools Language No. Newspaper Used 1 Ajit Punjabi Facebook, YouTube 2 Aj Di Awaaz Punjabi Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn 3 Charhdikala Punjabi Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest 4 Jagbani Punjabi Facebook, Twitter, YouTube 5 Punjabi Jagran Punjabi Facebook, Twitter, Google+ 6 Rozana Aashiana Punjabi Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn 7 Rozana Lok Bani Punjabi Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest 8 Ajit Samachar Hindi Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr 9 Hindi Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, RSS

10 Dainik Jagran Hindi Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, RSS, Pinterest 11 Dainik Savera Hindi Facebook, Twitter, Times Google+ 12 Hindi Facebook, Twitter, YouTube 13 Daily Hind Urdu Facebook, Twitter Samachar

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Table 1 provides information about various social media tools used by online newspapers in Punjab. It is clear from the Table 1 that all the 13 online dailies use various social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, RSS and Tumblr to disseminate news to the audiences across the globe. Table 2: Social media in online newspapers

Social No. of Newspapers Percentage Media (n=13)

Facebook 13 100.00

Twitter 12 92.31

Google + 9 69.23

YouTube 5 38.46

LinkedIn 3 23.08

RSS 2 15.38

Pinterest 4 30.76

Tumblr 1 7.69

It is clear from Table 2 that all the 13 online dailies in Punjab have provided link to Facebook to share news with their audiences. About 92.31% newspapers provide tweeting option and 69.23% use Google+ to share news. Links to YouTube and Pinterest have been provided by 38.46% and 30.76% online dailies respectively. Around 15.38% newspapers have provided link to RSS feeds on their websites. It is clear from the Table 2 that Tumblr is not very popular among online newspapers, as only one newspaper has used it. Table 3: Social media and Punjabi online newspapers

Name of the No. of Social Media Newspaper Tools Used Ajit 2 Aj Di Awaaz 4

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Name of the No. of Social Media Newspaper Tools Used

Charhdikala 4

Jagbani 3

Punjabi Jagran 3

Rozana Aashiana 4

Rozana Lok Bani 5

It is clear from Table 3 that Rozana Lokbani online newspaper has used maximum number of social media tools in its website. Aj Di Awaaz, Charhdikala and Rozana Aashiana online dailies have used 4 social media tools each. Jagbani and Punjabi Jagran online dailies have used 3 social media tools each on their websites. Table 4: Social media tools in Punjabi language online newspapers

No. of Social Media Newspapers Percentage (n=7)

Facebook 7 100.00

Twitter 6 85.71

YouTube 2 28.57

Google + 5 71.43

LinkedIn 3 42.86

Pinterest 2 28.57

Table 4 shows that all the 7 online dailies in Punjabi have provided link to Facebook on their websites. Tweeting option is available on the websites of 6 newspapers, while Google+ is used by 5 online dailies. Links to YouTube and Pinterest have been provided by 2 newspapers each. To share news with the audiences 3 newspapers have provided link to LinkedIn.

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Table 5: social media and Hindi online newspapers

No. of Social Name of the Media Tools Newspaper Used Ajit Samachar 6 Dainik Bhaskar 5 Dainik Jagran 6 Dainik Savera Times 3 Punjab Kesari 3 Table 5 shows that Ajit Samachar and Dainik Jagran online newspapers have used maximum tools of social media on their websites. Dainik Bhaskar has used 5 social media tools. Dainik Savera Times and Punjab Kesari have used 3 social media tools on their websites. Table 6: Social media in Hindilanguage online newspapers

No. of Social Media Newspapers Percentage (n=5)

Facebook 5 100.00

Twitter 5 100.00

Google + 4 80.00

YouTube 3 60.00

RSS 2 40.00

LinkedIn 1 20.00

Pinterest 2 40.00

Tumblr 1 20.00

It is clear from Table 6 that online newspapers in Hindi language are using social media tools on their websites to reach the audiences. Links to Facebook and Twitter have been provided by 5 Hindi dailies. Google+ and YouTube are used by 4 and 3 dailies respectively.

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Table 7: Social media and Urdu language online newspapers

No. of Social Name of the Social Media Media Tools Newspaper Tools Used Used Dainik Hind Facebook, Twitter 2 Samachar Table 7 shows that Dainik , Urdu online daily has used only two social media tools, Facebook and Twitter on its website. 6. CONCLUSION Facebook has emerged as a popular social media tool having its presence on the websites of all the online newspapers of Punjab. Tweeting option is provided by 12 online dailies. Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, RSS, Pinterest and Tumblr are also used by online newspapers. Study concludes that online newspapers in Punjab have embraced social media technologies to reach and connect with the audiences across the globe. 7. REFERENCES 1. Belam M.(2007). Newspapers 2.0: How web 2.0 is British newspaper web sites? http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2007/05/newspapers-20-how-web-20-are-b.php. Accessed on 6 January 2017. 2. Brick Factory. (2007). American newspapers and the Internet: Threat or opportunity. http://blog.thebrickfactory.com/2007/07/american-newspapers-and-the-internet- threat-or-opportunity/. Accessed on 6 January 2017. 3. Brick Factory. (2006). The use of internet by America’s newspapers. http://blog.thebrickfactory.com /campaign/newspapers06_tz-fgb.pdf. Accessed on 6 January 2017. 4. Brick Factory. (2006). The use of internet by Japanese newspapers. http://blog.thebrickfactory.com/2006/08/japanese-newspapers-print-all-the-way/. Accessed on 6 January 2017. 5. Brick Factory. (2006). The presence of magazines on the Internet. http://blog.thebrickfactory.com/2006/11/the-presence-of-magazines-on-the-internet/. Accessed on 6 January 2017. 6. Fleming, K. (2011). 2011 Journalist engagement survey. Reynolds Journalism Institute. http://mc-399-228687451.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com/news/2011-journalist-engagement- survey#social-media. 7. Dibean, W. (1999). How U.S. daily newspapers are using their internet counterparts. Paper presented to the University of Luton Creativity and Consumption Conference, Luton, U.K.,

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March 29-31. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.195.7978&rep=rep1 &type=pdf. Accessed on 2 January 2017. 8. India’s daily readership of online news and information jumps 34 percent in the past year (2013). http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press-Releases/2013/10/Indias-Daily-Readership- of-Online-News-and-Information-Jumps-34-Percent-in-the-Past-Year. Accessed on 2 January 2017. 9. Miller, A. (2012). Turning social media into audience. Associated Press Media Editors. http://www.apme.com/news/102651/TURNING-SOCIAL-MEDIA-INTO-AUDIENCE.htm. Accessed on 2 January 2017. 10. Paperboy. (2017). http://www.thepaperboy.com/. Accessed on 2January 2017. 11. Pew Research Center. (2010). Understanding the participatory news consumer. http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/03/01/understanding-the-participatory-news-consumer/ 12. Williams, P. and Nicholas, D. (1999). The migration of news to the web. Aslib Proceedings, 51(4):122–34. 13. Ajit. (2016). http://epaper.ajitjalandhar.com/. Accessed on 2 December 2016. 14. Aj Di Awaaz. (201). http://epaper.ajdiawaaz.com/. Accessed on 2 December 2016. 15. Charhdikala. (2016). http://charhdikala.com/. Accessed on 2 December 2016. 16. Punjabi Jagran. (2016). http://epaper.punjabijagran.com. Accessed on 2 December 2016. 17. Jagbani. (2016). http://jagbani.epapr.in/. Accessed on 4 December 2016. 18. Ajit Samachar. (2016). http://www.ajitsamachar.com/index.php. Accessed on 4 December 2016. 19. Rozana Aashiana. (2016). http://dailyaashiana.com/newspaper/. Accessed on 4 December 2016. 20. Rozana Lok Bani. (2016). http://wcwt.in/ad/lokbani.com/. Accessed on 4 December 2016. 21. Dainik Bhaskar. (2016). http://epaper.bhaskar.com/. Accessed on 4 December 2016. 22. Dainik Jagran. (2016). http://www.jagran.com/. Accessed on 4 December 2016. 23. Dainik Savera Times. (2016). http://epaper.dainiksaveratimes.com/. Accessed on 5 December 2016. 24. Punjab Kesari. (2016). http://www.punjabkesari.in/. Accessed on 5 December 2016. 25. Daily Hind Samachar. (2016). http://epaper.hindsamachar.in/. Accessed on 5 December 2016.

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