Digital Journalism, Social Media Platforms, and Audience Engagement: The Case of AJ+

Abstract

In 2014, Al Jazeera Network launched AJ+, a digital initiative intended to put it at the forefront of a changing journalistic field. Targeting an expanding mobile-centric generation of avid social media users and tech-savvy youth, Al Jazeera’s innovative media lab for digital storytelling engages audiences on a wide range of popular and emerging social media platforms. This qualitative and quantitative research study explores what AJ + reveals about the ability of established media organizations to adapt to changes in technology and adjust to the evolving ways news is produced and consumed. While shedding light on the opportunities and challenges ICT-driven innovation in journalism have brought to legacy media players in the digital era, the case of AJ+ also helps unravel intricate dynamics at the intersection of changing digital journalistic practices, retooled forms of political communication, and reconfigured geopolitical realities.