Coverage of emerging technologies: A comparison between print and online media

TLDR

Variations in the amount and themes of nanotechnology coverage across print and online media indicate that public discourse will be influenced by consumers’ preferred platform. The study examines differences in coverage volume and thematic content between US print news and online media for nanotechnology. Print and Google News coverage peaked and has begun to decline, whereas Google Blog Search coverage remains rising, and online coverage is more likely to feature environmental themes than print.

Abstract

This study explores differences in volume of coverage and thematic content between US print news and online media coverage for an emerging technology – nanotechnology. We found that while American print news media and Google News coverage of this emerging technology has peaked and started to decline, Google Blog Search coverage of nanotechnology is still growing. Additionally, our data show discrepancies in thematic content of online and print news coverage. Specifically, online users are more likely to encounter environmentally themed content relating to nanotechnology than are users of American print newspapers. Differences in the amount of coverage of nanotechnology in print news and online media as well as thematic content suggest that public discourse on related issues will be shaped, in part, by media consumers’ preferred information platform.