Transformations in Communication: The challenge of influencers for digital journalists in Argentina and Ecuador

Abstract

“Communication never stops evolving”, in this way the new communication paradigm has passed the stage of waiting 24 hours for the media to issue information. The world has taken a digital course characterized by immediacy in the information channels. This article analyzes the evolution of Argentine and Ecuadorian digital journalists on YouTube, comparing them with well-known influencers. Currently, the influencers have become the direct competition for the professional journalist, from this, the question arises: Does the influencer replace the communication professional in the future? A mixed research approach was carried out, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. With this, we have been able to measure real statistical data thanks to the application of quantitative content analysis and, in parallel, understand in detail the experiences of journalists and influencers through the interview. 196 videos published by 8 YouTube channels of Argentine and Ecuadorian journalists and influencers were analyzed. The month of the FIFA World Cup was taken as a sample for our study, an event that began on November 20 and ended on December 18, 2022. After the application of the research instruments and the collection of information, a clear disadvantage has been seen between the journalist and the influencer, due to the fact that the phenomenon originated on the Internet is a persuasive figure that it has global communities, as opposed to the journalist, who is just getting started on the YouTube social network.