Reflections of digital transformation on local press in official advertisement distribution: The example of Bursa, Kocaeli and Yalova provinces

This thesis extensively examines the evolution of communication technologies and the media sector, focusing on the development of local online journalism and the digital transformation of official announcements. Emphasizing the impact of the Internet on the digital transformation of newspapers, it is acknowledged that online newspapers expedite information transmission through multimedia capabilities, leading to profound changes in journalistic practices due to communication technologies. During this transformative process, the digitization of official announcements enables online journalism to generate revenue through the Public Advertisement Institution (BİK), facilitating BİK's digitization and differentiation of the presentation of official announcements on digital platforms. The thesis, framed within Castells Network Society and Rogers Diffusion of Innovations theories, deeply analyzes the effects of the process of digitally distributing official announcements to local online journalism through in-depth discussions with local online journalism in Bursa, Kocaeli, and Yalova. The research not only focuses on the digital transformation of official announcement publishing but also delves into addressing the problems arising from this transformative impact through legal and ethical frameworks. In-depth discussions with journalism in Bursa, Kocaeli, and Yalova further enhance the socio-economic, cultural, and technological impacts of the thesis. By concentrating on the local journalism digitalization process, the effects of the digital transformation of official announcements, challenges during the pandemic, and the future of digital official announcements, the study attains significant findings. Analyses under thematic findings underscore the emphasis on local journalism transitioning to digital platforms, the digitization of official announcements, and the profound effects of the pandemic on journalism. Particularly, the pandemic is noted to expedite digitalization in the media sector, bringing substantial changes to journalism operational practices. Furthermore, a decline in demand for print newspapers post-pandemic and an increase in digitalization are highlighted. In this context, the thesis comprehensively addresses the significant transformations in local journalism and official announcements, detailing the impacts of the pandemic.