Audience metrics as disruptive innovation: Analysing emotional work of Finnish journalism professionals

Abstract

Audience metrics in journalism can be seen as a disruptive innovation: a technological invention that boosts journalism but at the same time disturbs it. The use of metrics has therefore drawn journalists into a sensitive sense-making process: They do emotional work to be able to manage the metrics-related requirements of their work. To further assess why metrics in Finland remains a sensitive issue, in this article we ask: 1) What is the Finnish news professionals’ emotional work about metrics directed at? 2) What is the relationship between this emotional work and the cycle of disruption and innovation? The empirical material consists of nine qualitative interviews with Finnish news managers and a set of open-ended survey responses from the editorial staff of the largest Finnish daily, Helsingin Sanomat. In addition, eight background interviews with third-party analytics providers were used as supportive material. We conclude that the emotional work is centred on relief, excitement, and stress, and it is directed at seeing the audience as an algorithmic conception, increasing the organisations’ capabilities through learning, and maintaining autonomy, respectively. Emotional work thus alleviates and stimulates, as well as balances journalism's relationship with the disruptive innovation of metrics.