I evinnerlig förändring En explorativ studie av svenska magasins webbsatsningar

Abstract

In this study we have done an explorative study of the Swedish magazine industry. In light of recent years staggering development of technology and new devices we found it imperative to examine how the editorial environment has changed. The purpose was to study how editors approach the web as an editorial platform. Which problems and difficulties they experience and how they intend to approach this predicament. Since research in this area is scarce and problematic due to the constantly shifting environment. We are hoping that our results would fill a gap that could clarify and assist the market in how they can approach the web. Our theoretical framework relies on the assessment of seeing a magazine as a business. Where the structures, business models and income is the main aspects. The theories also consider the public as the major influential factor. Even though the main focus in this paper is not on the public, we define that they have an indirect effect on every decision made by the editors in magazines. To get a comprehensive assessment of the situation we decided to undertake two studies. Initially through a survey which was sent to the editors of a large proportion of the magazine industry. Thereafter we did a few qualitative research interviews with editors. The magazines they represented were distinctly different concerning resources, capabilities, ownership and so on. The result we gathered was interpreted and generalised on the industry. We do not consider the results to characterize every single title on the Swedish market. We do however claim that the conclusions and results are good estimations and predictions. What we found was that there is a great concern in the industry regarding the web. The main issue is that editors have no clear idea on how to capitalize the content especially from the readers. A vast majority consider their presence and work on the web as vital. And it will continue to be important in the future. Furthermore there are some indications that the web is becoming more important than the traditional paper. And that the products will become two separate commodities, joint together by the brand. There are some predictions that longer text and a new model for distributing the content will become a reality in the nearby future. This study confirms that former studies are somewhat out-dated even though they were satisfactory at the time of their publication. In that sense this paper offers an updated view on the digital problematic for the Swedish magazine industry. Our goal was to uncover answers where there are none. Nevertheless this exploration is valuable in the sense that it presents indications and provides a better understanding for the problematic in this day and age.