Carlos Alberto Scolari

Mapping conversations about new media: the theoretical field of digital communication

This article reflects on the current state of digital communication studies in the context of mass communication research. The objectives of the article are: 1) to characterize the enunciators and the contents of scientific conversations about digital communication; and 2) to sketch a map of possible interlocutors who might enrich this new research field. After quickly exploring the paradigms of mass communication studies, the article deals with the main theoretical conversations about digital communication. The second part of the article describes the transformations that the appearance of digital technology has generated in communication processes. The article concludes with an agenda of the main issues and partners that theoretical conversations about digital communication should include. The article analyzes the constitution of a new scientific field and describes the process that may, in the future, lead to the creation of a theory of digital communication.

The sense of the interface: Applying semiotics to HCI research

Abstract The objective of this article is to reflect on the application of Semiotics to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and interface analysis. To accomplish the objective the article presents an example of semiotic analysis of a blog interface but the methodology proposed, conveniently adapted, may be applied to any kind of digital interactive environment. The analysis reconstructs the interface sense production device (including the surface of the page and the link architecture), identifies implied users and exchange scenes of the blog and concludes with some reflections on interface evolution and hybridation. Finally, the article proposes future trends for a Semiotics of HCI.

Online brands: branding, possible worlds, and interactive grammars

Abstract This paper proposes to reflect from a semiotic perspective on the transformation that brands have undergone since the rise of the Internet. After a brief theoretical introduction to digital communication and the semiotics of brands, the case of the Google brand is analyzed by applying concepts of generative and interpretive semiotics. The paper holds that the iconic and linguistic enunciations are secondary with respect to interaction. In digital media interaction — the interactive experience that the Internet user lives — is a fundamental component of the hypermedia cocktail and occupies a central position in the brand building process. The article concludes with some of the questions and special characteristics raised by so-called eBranding.

The Grammar of Hypertelevision: An Identikit of Convergence-Age Fiction Television (Or, How Television Simulates New Interactive Media)

Abstract The arrival of “new media” such as the Web and multimedia mobile devices is transforming “old media” such as television. If we consider that these new media coexist with the old ones in the same system, then it could be a valid exercise to analyze the contaminations between them. In this article, I analyze the aesthetics of new audiovisual productions-–i.e., the acceleration of rhythm, the multiplication of characters and narrative programs—and the transformations of the television interface in order to identify the pertinent traits of what I define as hypertelevision. The article concludes with a reflection on the simulation of interactive experiences in contemporary television.

The Barcelona Mobile Cluster: Actors, Contents and Trends

Communication mediated by mobile devices is one of the most dynamic sectors of the global economy and is transforming different aspects of our lives, including our ways of relating and our cultural production, distribution and consumption models. Media studies should not ignore these transformations. This paper presents the results of a study carried out during 2008 to determine the actors, contents produced and trends of the mobile communication companies in Barcelona. The study outlines an initial map of the situation, proposes a series of analysis categories and lays the foundations for more specific future studies on mCommunication.

The case of the top Spanish YouTubers: Emerging media subjects and discourse practices in the new media ecology

The objective of this article is to propose a first exploratory analysis of the Spanish YouTubers’ main productions and practices. Following the description of the emergence of YouTube in the context of media ecology, the article presents a general overview of the top 10 Spanish YouTubers’ production based on quantitative data. The study continues with a semiotic/discursive analysis of their audio-visual production’s main distinctive traits. As traditional television is imitating nowadays these new media expressions, this article also addresses the aesthetics and grammar of Yutubers, a TV program produced by Comedy Central that simulates the Spanish YouTubers channels’ aesthetics and language. The analysis concludes with a discussion on the study’s findings and a series of questions about these new media subjects.

Marketing móvil en Cataluña: mapa de actores, contenidos y tendencias

This article presents a part of the results of a research carried out in 2008 to identify the actors, contents and tendencies of mobile marketing produced in Catalonia. Mobile marketing is changing different aspects of advertising, because a mobile telephone is a personal device that permits direct and interactive communication and which a very large proportion of the public uses, it is an especially attractive vehicle to carry out marketing. The research draws a situation map, proposes a series of analytical categories and tendencies and opens the field for more specific analysis of mobile marketing in Catalonia in the future.

Toward a typology of young produsers: Teenagers’ transmedia skills, media production, and narrative and aesthetic appreciation:

Based on the qualitative analysis of data from workshops and interviews with teenagers from eight countries, this article aims to determine the degrees of productive, narrative, and aesthetic knowledge that teenagers put into practice when they create their media contents. From a theoretical framework that links teens, informal learning environments, and participatory cultures, the findings point toward three types of teenage produsers: casual, aspirational, and expert. Each type is representative of different aspects of production in terms of the types of media contents produced; the planning of the production process; the application of narrative and aesthetic values when creating; and the motivations behind the production. The study concludes with an invitation to rethink what participatory culture means in the light of teenagers’ production practices.

La comunicación móvil se encuentra en el centro de los procesos de convergencia culturales contemporáneos

The work of the professor and researcher Carlos Alberto Scolari has been fundamental reference in studies on digital media, interfaces and media ecology. Born in Rosario, Argentina, he is living in Europe for over 25 years, where he received his PhD in Applied Linguistics and Languages of Communication at Università Cattolica di Milano. Currently, he is Professor in the Department of Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), and leads the projects “Transmedia Literacy” (of the EU Horizon 2020 – 2015/2018) and “Transalfabetismos” (MINECO – 2015/2017).

A comunicação móvel está no centro dos processos de convergência cultural contemporâneos

The work of the professor and researcher Carlos Alberto Scolari has been fundamental reference in studies on digital media, interfaces and media ecology. Born in Rosario, Argentina, he is living in Europe for over 25 years, where he received his PhD in Applied Linguistics and Languages of Communication at Università Cattolica di Milano. Currently, he is Professor in the Department of Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), and leads the projects “Transmedia Literacy” (of the EU Horizon 2020 – 2015/2018) and “Transalfabetismos” (MINECO – 2015/2017).