Editorial

Dr. Carmen MARTA-LAZO

University of Zaragoza. Spain. cmarta@unizar.es

Marta-Lazo, C. (2017). [Editorial] Union breeds strength. Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación/Mediterranean Journal of Communication, 8(2), 7-8.

Union breeds strength

In the field of research in general, and scientific communication in particular, working in networks is essential in order to improve joint projects and increase the chances of expanding results. For several years now, the editor of this journal, Victoria Tur Viñes, PhD, has given me the chance to collaborate, first as a member of the Scientific Committee, next as Editorial Secretary in charge of coordinating several monographs, and now as co-editor. To paraphrase the writer González Moore, “generosity is always the best path”. Undoubtedly, the act of sharing time and locations means that new synergies come together, moving towards one single objective: for the Mediterranean Journal of Communication to continue gaining in prestige as a wide-ranging source of knowledge that continues to reap success. Talking of success, in May we received the great news that RMC is now indexed in EMERGING SOURCE CITATION INDEX (ESCI) - Clarivate Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters). Scientific publications that are being evaluated to be included in the Web of Science Core Collections Web of Science (SCI, SSCI & A&HCI) appear in this database. This inclusion is a major boost to the journal’s visibility and will allow us to have citation metrics in the database.

Our joint path is on the right track. As Jean de La Fontaine stated in "Le Vieillard et ses enfants" (1668), "Toute puissance est faible, à moins que d'être unie" ("All power is feeble, unless it is united"), the inspiration for the title of this editorial. Generosity and unity are two of the most striking features of volume 8 issue 2 in 2017. This is due to the joint publication between the research group "Comunicación y Públicos Específicos" (“Communication and Specific Target Audiences”) from the University of Alicante (Spain) and the "Grupo de Investigación en Comunicación e Información Digital" (“Communication and Digital Information Research Group”) from the University of Zaragoza (Spain). We can also add that, on this occasion, we are dealing with a very harmonious double monograph―the term being appropriate as the subjects are related to music.

Firstly, we present the monograph entitled “Music, advertising and transmediatic narratives”, composed of five articles and coordinated by two outstanding experts in this field: Candelaria Sánchez-Olmos and Eduardo Viñuela, who are researchers from the University of Alicante and the University of Oviedo respectively. The relationship between advertising, marketing and music is the common strand of the fascinating contributions included in the monograph.

Secondly, we present the monograph entitled “Videoclip”, which was coordinated by Ana Sedeño-Valdellós, PhD, and José-Patricio Pérez-Rufí, PhD, (University of Malaga) and Virginia Guarinos-Galán (University of Seville), who are also specialist researchers in the field of music and the media. A total of six articles comprise this second monograph, which brings together various viewpoints on production processes, forms and contents, all related to the musical videoclip.

Regarding the Miscellaneous section, among other subjects there is a notable presence of articles related to digital communication and virtual learning. We open this section with a modern contribution entitled “Discursividad youtuber: afecto, narrativas y estrategias de socialización en comunidades de Internet” (“YouTuber Discursivity: Affect, Narratives and Socialisation Strategies in Online Communities”) co-written by María-Agustina Sabich and Lorena Steinberg, from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). The article reviews the YouTuber phenomenon and the construction of a narrative structure that is conducive to professionalisation, with its own specific logic of involvement and interaction on the Internet.

The influence of corporate culture in the processes of communication and creativity in the creative industries is the subject covered by the following article, titled “La cultura corporativa en las industrias creativas a través de un análisis Delphi” (“A Delphi Analysis of Corporate Culture in the Creative Industries”). By applying this analytical technique, Eliseo Rodríguez-Monteagudo and Fernando Olivares-Delgado present us with an article that provides modern definitions of the subject under study.

The digital environment takes centre stage again in the following text, written by Cristina González-Pedraz and Eva Campos-Domínguez, from the Spanish Institute for Studies in Science, Scientific Culture & Innovation (3CIN Foundation) and the University of Valladolid respectively. In this case, they present “Práctica profesional del periodista científico: revisión bibliográfica de las disfunciones derivadas del entorno digital” (“The Professional Practice of the Scientific Journalist: A Bibliographical Review of Dysfunctions arising from the Digital Environment”). On the one hand, this text studies the situation of the scientific journalist in the online environment and how this communication channel has transformed professional practice and, on the other, it studies the new role as public communicators that some scientists have taken on. Finally, it analyses the relationships between scientists and journalists in the communication process of online science.

The use of social media and messaging services to expand the involvement of the public as prosumers in the specific case of the radio and the possibilities that web 2.0 digital platforms provide as tools for two-way communication is the core theme covered by “El prosumer en la construcción del discurso radiofónico: análisis del caso de las radios ecuatorianas de Cotopaxi y Tungurahua” (“The Prosumer in the Construction of Radiophonic Discourse: An Analysis of Ecuadorian Radio Stations in Cotopaxi and Tungurahua”), written by Alex-Hernán Mullo-Pérez and Hernán-Antonio Yaguana-Romero, from the Technical University of Cotopaxi and the Private Technical University of Loja (Ecuador). In its conclusion, it warns that Ecuadorian broadcasters have a presence on online platforms, but that these are not used to enrich the radiophonic product because broadcasters do not know how to manage them to create loyal public audiences.

The tragedy experienced by refugees, exemplified in an incident where a child becomes a dramatic symbol that has transcended the event to become a global icon, is the subject of the article “Imágenes icónicas. Contrastes en la representación audiovisual del ‘pequeño Aylan’ en el periodismo televisivo español y europeo” (Iconic Images. Comparisons in the Audiovisual Representation of ‘Little Aylan’ in Spanish and European Television Reporting). The researchers Estrella Israel-Garzón and Ricardo-Ángel Pomares-Pastor, from the CEU San Pablo University and from the University of Valencia respectively, present a comparative analysis of the television coverage of a shipwreck off the coast of Turkey that took the life of a three-year-old Syrian child called Aylan Kurdi. His death is put in the context of the desperate fleeing of thousands of people to Europe, across the Mediterranean Sea.

From an educommunicative point of view, the following contribution reflects on how digital technology has been used as a communication tool in teaching-learning processes. “La importancia de la formación docente en materia de comunicación y colaboración” (“The Importance of Teacher Training in Communication and Collaboration”) was written by Amaia Arroso-Sagasta, from The Basque Summer University, who provides a multidisciplinary overview of the advantages of communication and collaborative skills in teaching processes.

From the same perspective, covering media literacy education, “Aprendizaje dialógico en escenarios virtuales de aprendizaje: Percepción de la comunidad universitaria sobre el diálogo online” (Dialogic Learning In Virtual Learning Scenarios: The Perception of the University Community of Online Dialogue), written by Margarita Roura-Redondo, of Cardenal Cisneros University College (University of Alcala de Henares), puts forward transformation as the objective of dialogic learning by promoting equal dialogue and respecting diversity. This study reaches significant conclusions such as the fact that, in the University, there is no concept of dialogue based on argumentation, dialogue being simply limited to an exchange of opinions.

This volume closes with a review titled “El papel de las Tecnologías de la Relación, Información y Comunicación (TRIC) y el Factor R-elacional en la educomunicación” (“The Role of Relation, Information and Communication Technologies (RICT) and the Relational Factor in Educommunication”), written by Araceli Castelló-Martínez, PhD, from the University of Alicante, of the book “Comunicación digital. Un modelo basado en el Factor R-elacional” (“Digital Communication. A Model Based on the Relational Factor”) (Marta-Lazo & Gabelas, Barcelona: 2016).

The listed confluence of networks, authors, coordinators, institutions, subjects and knowledge means that unity breeds strength. We hope that this will be the first editorial of many joint productions. The theme of musical harmony is a sign of a good start. And, as in all good celebrations, music is essential.