以“人-物”关系为中心:新闻研究的物质敏感性

Focusing on the “people-things” relationship: Journalism Studies’ Material Sensibility

伴随着传播研究的"物质性转向",最近几年的新闻研究开始体现出一种"物质敏感性",学者们敏锐地注意到物质性对于理解数字新闻业的理论潜力并将其应用于经验研究中。这种敏感性体现在两个方面:一是将新闻业视为一种社会-物质实践,探讨物质性在新闻业中的不同体现,着重从当下和历史两个维度对工具、机器、硬件、软件等物质条件进行了讨论;二是逐渐形成了一套社会-技术理论以分析物质性,一方面援引新的理论进入新闻研究领域,另一方面也促使一些旧的理论予以调适以适应对社会-物质实践的分析。倡导新闻研究的物质敏感性并不意味着对各种物质条件的决定论式的强调,而是要把"人-物"关系置于新闻物质性研究的中心。

Along with the "materiality turn"in communication research,journalism scholars are keen to embrace the emergence of an interest for materiality and adopt a"material sensibility"in journalism studies. This sensibility is manifested in two ways: firstly,journalism is seen as a socio-material practice,and the different manifestations of materiality in journalism are explored,focusing on the material conditions of tools,machines,hardware,and software in both current and historical dimensions.Secondly,a set of socio-technical theories has gradually been developed to analyze materiality,invoking new theories into the field of journalism studies on the one hand,and on the other hand,some old theories were adapted to suit the analysis of socio-material practices. Adopting a material sensibility does not imply a deterministic emphasis on material conditions,but rather places the "human-material"relationship at the center of the study of the journalistic materiality.