Digital transformation and local media: digitalization of local media in Elâzığ

Nowadays, we are at a turning point in our lives due to the advent of new communication and technologies. The new media, which quickly enters and adapts to all areas of our lives, has not only settled in the center of individuals' lives, but has been active in many public and private areas. It has become an integral part of people through personal computers and smartphones. Likewise it has radically changed and transformed the traditional media process. One of the most important points that emerged with this process is the change in the one-way flow logic of traditional mass media with new media technologies and the shaping of a new environment that allows mutual communication. Thus, passive readers/viewers/listeners can actively participate in these processes. This way, broadcasters working in these platforms find the opportunity to share their content with more people in a shorter time. The platforms are developing at a faster pace day by day and gaining a structure that dominates the media sector. Publishers are also paying more and more attention to carrying their activities to these platforms. Within this context, it is of particular importance to examine and make sense of these changes in the field of broadcasting. This thesis focuses on the adaptation process of local media organizations to the ever-evolving new media technologies and how local media practices have undergone a transformation on the basis of the new activities they carry out in these media. The research is carried out through the local media organizations of Elazig province.This study examines how local media organizations in Elazig adapt to digital transformation processes, how they use new media platforms and how they expand their scope with the help these platforms. Within this context, two local newspapers and two television channels, namely Fırat Newspaper, Günışığı Newspaper, Kanal 23 and Kanal Fırat, broadcasting in the province of Elazig, were chosen for this study. An analysis was carried out by examining the websites and social networking pages of media organizations in question.The result of study has shown that, new media-based channels have changed the understanding of broadcasting in general, and this change has also found a clear response in local media organizations. Likewise the result also indicates that the local media organizations care about new media channels and are in an effort to reach more audiences using these channels effectively.