Perceived Usefulness and Adoption of Digital Journalism among Journalists in Pakistan

Abstract

Aim of the Study: The rapid advancement of digital technologies has significantly transformed journalistic practices not only in Pakistan but globally. In this study, researchers applied the technology acceptance model to examine the journalists' perception of the usefulness of digital journalism and its adoption.

Methodology: Current study is based on quantitative research and researchers conducted a survey for data collection. The questionnaire was designed on five Likert scales based and distributed via email, WhatsApp and in printed form. The data were collected from (n=170) journalists who were working for both television news channels and digital media simultaneously. Sample was collected from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and other cities of Pakistan. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, and standard deviation, and inferential statistics including Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to examine journalists' perception of the usefulness of digital journalism.

Findings: The correlation analysis indicated a strong positive relationship between perceived usefulness of digital journalism and the adoption of digital journalism (r = .786, p < .01). Regression results further confirmed that perceived usefulness significantly predicts the adoption of digital journalism in Pakistan.

Conclusion: The study concluded that journalists highly perceived digital journalism as useful. Among the most useful indicators, digital journalism allows editorial freedom, considered as the most useful indicator, followed by keeping them updated with the latest news as the 2^nd most useful indicator, whereas digital journalism is useful for their job, noted as the 3^rd most useful indicator.