Papers by Ignacio Bergillos
In a moment of transformation of media as a result of ongoing processes of digitalization and con... more In a moment of transformation of media as a result of ongoing processes of digitalization and convergence, television broadcasters are increasingly betting on tools that allow the public to assume a more active role in the production of contents. Emergent phenomena such as participatory journalism, user-generated content or the integration of social networking websites are becoming more and more relevant in the online public sphere. This paper compares the models for online news websites participation developed by RTVE (Spain) and BBC (England). The analysis focuses on the different participative resources, the access protocols, the technical mediations and the restrictions of the content produced by the audience in these two influential broadcasters. The concept of participation is articulated from the perspective of studies that understand it as new feedback opportunities provided by digital technology. Particular obstacles and requirements are detected in each media. Although tel...
Culture at Play: How Video Games Influence and Replicate Our World, 2020
'Press X to pay respects' is an instruction in 'Call of Duty: Advanced Wa... more 'Press X to pay respects' is an instruction in 'Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare' (Activision, 2014) and 'Batman: Arkham City' (Rocksteady Studios, 2011), a contextual action that seems to be included to give depth to the game events. But what is really happening in these interactions? Are they designed in a way that encourages the recognition of those whom we are paying respects to, or do they act as simple requirements to progress? What's the role of the (virtual) Other in ludofictional worlds? In this paper, we aim to study the encounter with virtual agents and the possibilities it opens for recognition and compassion. Authors like Sicart (2013), Mortensen (2004), and Zagal (2011) have shown that games can encourage ethical reflection, and established frameworks to analyse ethical gameplay design. Here we contribute to this discussion by proposing an ethical model based on the concepts of recognition, as discussed by Hegel, Appiah, Butler or Frankfurt, among others, and of suffering and compassion, as described in Buddhist philosophy. This model distinguishes two levels of suffering in games: ludic and narrative-thematic. It is this second level what can lead to compassionate play. We believe this model illustrates some vital parts of the act of playing and can help conscientious designers (as described by Flanagan and Nissenbaum, 2014), scholars, and players, to discuss and design ethical design. 1. Playing in second person with the Invisible Gamemaster We never play alone: there is always some perceived Other, be it virtual agents, other players (in leader boards, gamerscores, tutorials, and even Let's Play videos) or the game system itself. In the latter, we can guess the gamemakers' intentions (as intentio auctoris, Eco, 1987) or the abstract meaning of the work (as intentio operis), but also perceive an Invisible Gamemaster (IG) that conflates the ruleset, the code, and the operations of the machine to act as the organizer and arbiter of play. The IG is the higher authority that watches our movements, automatizes the rules and makes sure they are observed, and sanctions our actions. In this regard, our relationships to the game reminds of the mythical origin of the self-awareness
Revista de la Asociación Española de Investigación de la Comunicación, 2016
On May 24th 2015, the political party Ahora Madrid won the local elections in Madrid against odds... more On May 24th 2015, the political party Ahora Madrid won the local elections in Madrid against odds. Ahora Madrid was founded just four months before the elections and its candidate, Manuela Carmena, a retired judge, wasn't a known politician. By the rules of the Electoral Board, the party had no right to broadcast political advertising on public service media and private broadcasters were not an option due to the low budget of the party. However, Carmena benefited from a campaign developed by leading professionals in the Spanish advertising and communication industry, who decided to actively participate in the social media movement #MadridconManuela (Madrid with Manuela). This paper analyzes this case study and explains how the community of professionals collaboratively designed the campaing on its own initiative. Results point out how this kind of practice makes a change in the traditional advertising communication models.
Journal of Environmental Media, 2020
This short article focuses on the interrelation of two seemingly invisible phenomena that have a ... more This short article focuses on the interrelation of two seemingly invisible phenomena that have a growing influence on our daily lives: on the one hand, our intimate relationship with devices and practices mediated by technology, which make up our media life, and on the other, the great impact that our way of life has on the planet that we inhabit, which invites us to think about our role in the Anthropocene, a new geological era in which human activity is the main agent of change in the Earth’s ecosystems. Regarding these key trends as closely connected gives us the opportunity to find accessible solutions to our daily concerns on environmental issues. In other words, considering our media life in the Anthropocene means to be aware of the challenges that we face while asking ourselves how to claim a responsible use of technology that – in line with our humanity – will help us to confront them.
Journalism Practice, 2019
Vox pops are seemingly unscripted interviews with ordinary people that are usually employed to re... more Vox pops are seemingly unscripted interviews with ordinary people that are usually employed to represent public opinion in news broadcasts. It is the most common form of audience participation through mainstream television, but at the same time its use in news production has been, and still is, under discussion. Vox pops are controversial not just in themselves, but also in the way they are represented. This article conceptualizes vox pops in the age of digital television and problematizes this kind of audience participation in journalistic practice. It critically examines the role of vox pops in today's television news programs and frames these processes as minimalistic forms of participation and as strategies for mediated authenticity. Through content and textual analysis, this research presents the evolution of the representation of vox pops in Spanish news broadcasts between 2010 and 2016. Attending to the participatory process, the identification of the citizens selected for interviewing, and their newsworthiness, different configurations are analyzed. The text concludes by reflecting on the need to recover vox pops as a practice for relational journalism and as a more balanced invitation to audience participation.
Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, 2018
This article presents Planet Virtual Boy (PlanetVB) and Virtual Boy enthusiast practices in Spain... more This article presents Planet Virtual Boy (PlanetVB) and Virtual Boy enthusiast practices in Spain as a case study for fan preservation of failed games and systems. Using a historical approach and contributions from cultural studies, fan studies and game studies, practices and motivations for fan curation are discussed. Online communities serve as a common ground where fandom collaborates and negotiates at different levels in order to support video game preservation. The tensions that arise and the practices that take place are explained and connected to previous theory. Virtual Boy in Spain illustrates how the fragile, ambivalent and chaotic nature of online communities can also contribute to a successful preservation of game culture and video game history.
Comunicación y Hombre, 2018
Este texto presenta las principales disciplinas y aproximaciones teóricas que estudian el engagem... more Este texto presenta las principales disciplinas y aproximaciones teóricas que estudian el engagement en medios y adopta una comprensión interdisciplinar del término. A través de una extensa revisión bibliográfica se trata de problematizar el engagement atendiendo a los matices que aportan otros conceptos vinculados a él, como la interactividad, la economía afectiva, el compromiso y, fundamentalmente, la participación. Se apunta finalmente a la necesidad de interpretar los complejos fenómenos comunicativos que involucran a las audiencias partiendo de la base de una relación de confianza y respeto mutuo que reconozca sus desequilibrios de poder y sus implicaciones morales y afectivas.
El siglo XXI es el escenario de consolidación de la hibridación de los géneros televisivos. La pr... more El siglo XXI es el escenario de consolidación de la hibridación de los géneros televisivos. La programación de las cadenas está conformada por palabras compuestas que por separado podrían ser, incluso, antónimas. Así, se habla del reality-show, del info-show, entre otros. Es evidente, además, la creciente utilización del espectáculo para atraer la atención de los consumidores, sobre todo en géneros tan insólitos como el de la información. García Avilés (2007) incluye en este debate el término de infoentretenimiento aludiendo a la tendencia de los medios a presentar la información como espectáculo, cuya función principal es la de servir de gancho para captar y mantener audiencia (Thomas, 1990). Así, la transmisión de lo real se subordina a las técnicas propias de la ficción y el entretenimiento. El medio audiovisual ha creado una nueva noción de noticia, que reúne elementos de humor o de tragedia, y confunde lo nuevo, lo conflictivo o lo espectacular con lo importante. En los teledia...
Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las dinámicas de producción científica en ciencias de ... more Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las dinámicas de producción científica en ciencias de la comunicación de las universidades de la Comunidad de Madrid entre 2007 y 2010. A partir de un análisis bibliométrico de las principales revistas de comunicación, seleccionadas mediante una triangulación de bases de datos bibliográficas, se determina la producción científica de cada institución, la distribución de esta producción por revistas y el volumen y el tipo de colaboración observable. Los resultados muestran que la Universidad Complutense de Madrid es una institución de importancia central, ya que genera casi la mitad de la producción y es el principal nodo de una red de colaboraciones muy centrada en las instituciones de la propia comunidad autónoma. El peso de las universidades privadas es aún reducido y sólo
Rev. esp. doc. cient., 2013
El precio de la internacionalidad: la dualidad en los patrones de publicación de los investigador... more El precio de la internacionalidad: la dualidad en los patrones de publicación de los investigadores españoles en comunicación. Revista Española de Documentación Científica, 36(2):e010.
Social Sciences, 2021
This paper explores how communication and media studies have engaged with the concept of the Anth... more This paper explores how communication and media studies have engaged with the concept of the Anthropocene in recent years. The purpose of this study is to outline the most relevant theoretical and conceptual contributions from communication science and media studies to issues related to climate change, global sustainability and the Anthropocene. A literature review on the matter shows that the field of communication research is diverse and heterogeneous, and that it puts forward different concepts and theories that deal with media as the environment or the environment as media. Environmental communication and environmental humanities frame approaches to media representations of environmental issues, whereas elemental analysis focuses on the essence of media, its material dimensions and its entanglements with social practices. From the dialogue and interdisciplinary debates among these disciplines, new approaches such as environmental media studies arise. Differences among theories h...
Social Sciences, 2021
This paper explores how communication and media studies have engaged with the concept of the Anth... more This paper explores how communication and media studies have engaged with the concept of the Anthropocene in recent years. The purpose of this study is to outline the most relevant theoretical and conceptual contributions from communication science and media studies to issues related to climate change, global sustainability and the Anthropocene. A literature review on the matter shows that the field of communication research is diverse and heterogeneous, and that it puts forward different concepts and theories that deal with media as the environment or the environment as media. Environmental communication and environmental humanities frame approaches to media representations of environmental issues, whereas elemental analysis focuses on the essence of media, its material dimensions and its entanglements with social practices. From the dialogue and interdisciplinary debates among these disciplines, new approaches such as environmental media studies arise. Differences among theories h...
Este capítulo realiza una aproximación a la relación que Ryan Murphy ha desarrollado con el fando... more Este capítulo realiza una aproximación a la relación que Ryan Murphy ha desarrollado con el fandom de sus series y trata de describir su perfil como creador en un entorno en el que la conversación con la audiencia parece inevitable. A partir de una revisión de la evolución del concepto de cultura participativa propuesto por Henry Jenkins (1992), se analizará el papel de Murphy en la creación y crecimiento de comunidades de seguidores, así como en la gestión que ha realizado de la comunicación con sus fans, principalmente en Glee y American Horror Story. Se explorará así la participación como concepto, como estrategia y como práctica que se ha consolidado en las rutinas mediáticas de la última década. Este giro participativo ha otorgado mayor protagonismo al engagement y la implicación de los fans, pero también ha generado nuevas tensiones en la relación entre creadores y audiencias. En ese sentido, Ryan Murphy parece haber encontrado un punto medio entre su visión creativa y autoral, los compromisos promocionales y la atención a la audiencia en el marco de una cultura cada vez más participativa.
El objeto de estudio de esta investigacion es la participacion de la audiencia en television. Con... more El objeto de estudio de esta investigacion es la participacion de la audiencia en television. Concretamente, esta tesis analiza las invitaciones que las cadenas generalistas de television hacen a la audiencia, a traves de diferentes plataformas, para colaborar en la produccion, distribucion y promocion de sus contenidos. El trabajo consta de tres partes, principalmente. En primer lugar, expone y analiza las principales aportaciones que diferentes disciplinas, desde la teoria politica a los estudios de audiencia, han hecho a la investigacion de la participacion de los ciudadanos en y a traves de los medios. A partir de una amplia revision bibliografica, se presentan los conceptos y los debates mas relevantes que han surgido en la academia y en la industria, con el objetivo de establecer claves interpretativas que permitan comprender la complejidad del fenomeno analizado. La reflexion teorica finaliza con una definicion operativa que sera una pieza fundamental en la segunda parte de l...
Even if participation has been a key word in many research areas within Communication and Media S... more Even if participation has been a key word in many research areas within Communication and Media Studies, there are still theoretical disagreements about its definition. The inevitable coexistence of different approaches to the concept has hindered the development of a unique theoretical framework. However, the efforts to conceptualise participation and to understand the increasing participatory practices in/through media in the last years has nourished the field of participatory communication and participatory culture with insightful ideas that serve as common ground for future research. Most of these ideas, while apparently contradictory, follow similar patterns and interests that could potentially lead to a shared understanding of what participation is or should be. This article tries to contribute to the objective of rescuing participation by theoretically reviewing the conceptual apparatus of participation in Communication and Media Studies and introducing the idea that particip...
EnglishThis article presents the results of comparative research into the participation invitatio... more EnglishThis article presents the results of comparative research into the participation invitations that the main general interest television channels in Spain made to their audiences in 2010 and in 2014 during prime time and at night. It is content analysis which approaches the subject matter of study based on recognition of the complexity of its conceptualisation and with the aim of describing the relationship between the ownership of the channel and the television genre of the programme and the nature of the participation broadcast. catalaAquest article presenta els resultats d’una recerca comparativa sobre les invitacions a la participacio que les principals televisions generalistes a Espanya van oferir a l’audiencia el 2010 i el 2014 durant la seva franja de maxima audiencia i nit. Es tracta d’una analisi de contingut que s’aproxima a l’objecte d’estudi des del reconeixement de la complexitat que comporta conceptualitzar-lo i amb la finalitat de descriure la relacio que existei...
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Papers by Ignacio Bergillos