ABSTRACT
The smartphone has become a dominant technology in news. Mobile apps increase traffic to news organisations and encourage readers to stay there longer than websites, whether on PC, phone or tablet which allows them to charge more for advertisers. The smartphone, as a meeting point of ubiquity, mobility and information, lies at the centre. Mobile digital technology is also changing the way journalists see themselves and their professional practice, as they feel some pressure to adopt some of the norms of digital culture. Even at a less political level, newspapers have been associated with social cohesion, a collective identity and shared topics of conversation that are the glue of social life. Consequently, this chapter looks at the manner in which news is promoted and distributed via smartphones. News on WhatsApp has replaced it, to some extent, as news organisations shift away from Facebook.
