This document summarizes Matthew Weber's presentation on the evolution of news media from an organizational perspective. It discusses how organizations adapt internally and form external connections, like hyperlinks, to compete for resources and survive during disruptive periods. The formation of ties through hyperlinks can positively impact an organization's long-term survival. It also notes that hyperlinks serve to establish public relationships between organizations and should lower mortality rates for newspapers. The implications are that longitudinal studies of digital behaviors can provide insight on how strategy impacts organizational transformation and survival over time, especially for information-based organizations.

1. A Networked Perspective
on the Evolution of News Media
Wednesday, August 6
AEJMC 2014
Matthew S. Weber

2. Tracing the Emergence of Organizational Forms
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Environment:
Organizations compete for scare resources; during rapid periods of
disruption, new entrants seek “protected” niches (Weber & Monge 2014)
Population:
In digital spaces, online connections provide communicative representations of
information flows (Weber & Monge, 2012)
Formation of ties (e.g. hyperlinks) can positively impact long-term likelihood of
organization survival (Weber, 2012)
Organization:
Organizations adapt internally, reconfiguring team structures and
developing new routines for knowledge sharing
(Ellison, Gibbs & Weber, 2015; Weber & Kim, Under Review)

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evolution happens.

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8. why hyperlinks?
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Partnerships & interorganizational linkages
 facilitate transformation and survival
(Baum and Oliver, 1991)
Partnerships provide economic and reputational benefits
(Ruef & Scott, 1991)
Hyperlinks: a digital form of interorganizational linkage
(Halavais, 2008; Park, 2003)
establish a formal public relationship between two
organizations (Halavais, 2008)
 Institutional hyperlinks should lower newspaper mortality rates

10. © Internet Archive 2013
archive.org

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Source | Destination | Date | Frequency | Content Type | Bytes | Descriptive Text
Link Data:
http://gawker.com/5953665/mitt-romneys-
staff-played-the-media-covering-them-in-a-
friendly-game-of-flag-football
Mitt Romney's Staff Played the Media Covering
Them in a Friendly Game of Flag
http://gawker.com
2012-10-22

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2002
2006
1998
Mappingthe News Ecosystem
‘Digital’ organization forms
‘Traditional’ organization forms

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21. Linking Matters
• Hyperlinks are more than information sharing; can impact
organizational longevity (Weber 2012; Weber & Monge, 2014)
– Linking behavior signals a deeper shift in organizational mentality
– Impact is moderated by a host of factors, but aggressive shifts to digital can
impact survival over time
• Hyperlinks are not as significant for new entrants
– New entrants benefit more from traditional mechanisms of legitimacy – media
attention, legal rulings, etc.
– Hyperlinking moderates the effect
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22. Implications
• Longitudinal studies of digital behavior promise to reveal significant
insight into the cumulative impact of digital strategies
– Lessons learned provide insight into potential impact of social media
• Strategy is an important factor for understanding how existing
organizations transform during periods of rapid change
– Particularly in an online environment, organizational strategy can have a
notable impact of over time survival
• Understanding the true value of a link/social link economy is critical
for both information-based organizations and individuals engaged
with news media
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http://archivehub.rutgers.ed
u

24. • Want data?
– Email me! matthew.weber@rutgers.edu
– ArchiveHub: http://archivehub.rutgers.edu
• The Team
– Kris Carpenter, Vinay Goel: Internet Archive
– David Lazer, Katherine Ognyanova: Northeastern University
– Allie Kosterich, Hai Nguyen: Rutgers University
– Peter Monge, Ayushman Datta, Kristen Guth: USC
24Research supported by NSF Award #1244727 and the NetSCI Lab @ Rutgers

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