Yksityinen ja julkinen toimittaja: Suomalaisten toimittajien vaikutelman hallinta sosiaalisessa mediassa

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on Finnish journalists’ publicity and privacy management on social media. Social media has become an integral part of journalists’ work and this has raised questions about the blurring boundaries between the private and public. Work and personal life are increasingly intertwined, and skill is needed to balance professional and personal roles. The aim of this dissertation is to further understand how journalists define the boundaries between the private and public and the kinds of boundary setting and impression management strategies they use on social media. It draws from impression management theory together with the conceptual frameworks of privacy management and tellability. The main data was collected by interviewing journalists (N = 35) and the analysis was conducted using qualitative, phenomenographically oriented content analysis. The results of this study show that journalists see journalism as a way of life and often do not even seek to separate their work (professional role) and personal life (personal role). This is also evident in social media boundary management strategies where professionalism is prioritised: if professional and personal goals come into conflict, journalists tend to compromise on their personal goals. Professionalism and journalistic ideals also guide self-presentation strategies, with emphasis on strategies of ingratiation and exemplification. However, journalists are not a homogeneous group. They work in various positions in different media organisations, which is reflected in the strategies they choose. Overall, journalists’ impression management on social media emerges as a dynamic phenomenon that manifests itself not only as doing but also as not doing: passivity and withdrawal can be deliberate self-presentation styles as much as can active self-promotion. Although this study focuses on journalists, the results are also applicable to other professions, especially those with strong professional identities, blurred work-life boundaries and high pressure for positive differentiation. Keywords: boundary management, impression management, journalism, self-presentation, social media