Anna Podara

Is Medium Still the Message? The Vague Relationship Between Broadcasting, Streaming, and Media Audiences

Journalism and Media , 2025

Marshall McLuhan’s famous assertion that “the medium is the message” and the affordances of a med... more Marshall McLuhan’s famous assertion that “the medium is the message” and the affordances of a medium (e.g., television, radio, and the Internet) shape how people perceive and interact with the world, often reshaping cultural and social structures in ways that content cannot. Could this phrase related to mass media still be applied today?
Media usage in contemporary society has undergone significant transformation over recent years, also mirroring broader changes in social interactions. New norms and terminologies have emerged, influencing not only the way we engage in human relationships but also how we consume news and entertainment. While broadcasting and streaming platforms are engaged in a competitive struggle for the attention of modern audiences, they simultaneously navigate an exploratory relationship characterized by a complex interplay of complementary and competitive dynamics. Using Generation Z slang, this could be described as a ‘situationship’, an undefined relationship that lacks commitment boundaries or clear labels

Ηow Digital Poverty Affects Television Viewing Habits

Poverty and Quality of Life in the Digital Era

Media Studies, Audiovisual Media Communications, and Generations: The Case of Budding Journalists in Radio Courses in Greece

Journalism and Media, 2021

In this article, the quality of media studies education through effective teaching utilizing audi... more In this article, the quality of media studies education through effective teaching utilizing audiovisual media technologies and audiovisual content (audiovisual media communications) to budding journalists as adult learners (18 years and older) is researched, with results primarily intended for application in radio lessons at all educational levels and disciplines (including adult education). Nowadays, audiovisual media communications play an important role in the modern and visual-centric way of our life, while they require all of us to possess multiple-multimodal skills to have a successful professional practice and career, and especially those who study media studies, such as tomorrow’s new journalists. Data were collected after three interactive teachings with emphasis on educational effectiveness in technology-enhanced learning, through a specially designed written questionnaire with a qualitative and quantitative form (evaluation form), as case study experiments that applied q...

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Technology-Enhanced Learning in Audiovisual Education: The Case of Radio Journalism Course Design

Education Sciences, 2019

Journalism is in a state of perpetual change due to the implementation of technological tools on ... more Journalism is in a state of perpetual change due to the implementation of technological tools on an everyday basis. In the contemporary news distribution environment, the boundaries between media are no longer distinct, therefore media/journalism educational institutions should adapt curricula according to the needs of each type of medium. The aim of this paper is to present the incorporated technologies in the radio journalism undergraduate course of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and evaluate their necessity according to the students themselves. After the completion of the course, which involves the use of specialized technological tools in audio recording and editing, a survey employing quantitative method based on the technology acceptance model was conducted. The results indicate that the students, despite the difficulties that were encountered due to the initial lack of knowledge on the technology applied, evaluated...

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Ηow Digital Poverty Affects Television Viewing Habits

SpringerBriefs in well-being and quality of life research, 2022

News Usage Patterns Of Young Adults In The Era Of Interactive Journalism

مجلة الاستراتيجية والتنمية

In this study the emerging processes of news consumption among young adults of the post-millennia... more In this study the emerging processes of news consumption among young adults of the post-millennial generation are explored. New forms of journalism, such as video journalism, interactive journalism, multimedia journalism, long form and slow journalism are presented along with their impact on the aforementioned audience. To support the theory on behavioral patterns of online news usage, a focus group among English speaking university students, majoring in journalism was conducted in Greek and Cypriot Universities. Furthermore, the interactive reporting series “NSA files: decoded” was used as a case study, to answer whether experimental forms like interactive reporting is compatible with the needs of the generation under study. In general young adults in this research stated that they prefer traditional form of reporting rather than interactive. It seems that as interactivity is getting more and more present, the less coherent the narration becomes. Even though young adults are known as active learners, they prefer a strong narrative to an interactive template. That sparks a debate about what the future of journalism would be.

Generation Z & Television: It's complicated

The purpose of this presentation is to explore the evolving viewing practices of the young audien... more The purpose of this presentation is to explore the evolving viewing practices of the young audience through the findings of an ongoing research regarding Generation Z’s media usage. The advent of the World Wide Web has dynamically altered the way media content is consumed, in general; however, the members of this generation have grown up inside the digital boom, which occurred in the middle of the first decade of the 21th century and led to the Web 2.0. This is a generation of people who have never known a media culture without the Internet, in contrast to all the previous generations. In order to gain a deeper knowledge of their characteristics, we examined the evolution of their audiovisual consumption practices in the light of socio-demographic variables such as nationality, educational background, financial status and media literacy. In particular, this comparative study is based on the results of eight focus groups which were conducted from 2016 to 2020. The sample of the study consisted of young people 18-25 years old, from different European countries, who were currently living in Greece and Cyprus. In this perspective, this comparative study initiated from the following research questions: 1. Are new viewing practices of Gen-Z audience the same, in the light of different socio-demographic variables? 2. What is the relationship of this age cohort with tradition free-to-air television? The results of this study show that Gen Zers, even though they are called ‘digital natives’, they do have some traditional viewing habits that still prevail . Moreover, the assumption that Generation Z is a generation with truly global viewing preferences is confirmed. Even if they have experienced certain historical events differently (for example the financial crisis for the Greeks) and they were raised in different social economic environment, these young people have a common context about the way they consume audiovisual content.

Transformations of television consumption practices: An analysis on documentary viewing among post-millennials

The adaptation of new infrastructure in the media industry, as well as the evolution of Web 2.0 a... more The adaptation of new infrastructure in the media industry, as well as the evolution of Web 2.0 and beyond, has decisively altered the ways of producing and consuming audiovisual content. The forthcoming generation of viewers are the post-millennials who have been born and raised within a digital world with completely different consumption patterns when compared to the previous generations. This comparative study aims to explore and assess the transformations of audiovisual consumption practices within the current digital environment. Specifically, the research focuses on examining audiovisual consumption patterns on documentary viewing utilizing focus group method; Greece and Cyprus were selected as case study locations, due to their interconnected culture and origins. The results are presented in a dual level; initially the ways post-millennials of Greece and Cyprus consume web & traditional documentaries are examined. Moreover, the patterns of audiovisual content consumption, com...

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How the Greek television landscape changed during the financial crisis

Journal of Media Business Studies

Digital Storytelling in Cultural Heritage: Audience Engagement in the Interactive Documentary New Life

by Maria Matsiola, Anna Podara, Constantinos Nicolaou, and Dimitrios Giomelakis

Sustainability, 2021

This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentar... more This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality, provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the first launch period a...

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Media Studies, Audiovisual Media Communications, and Generations: The Case of Budding Journalists in Radio Courses in Greece

by Maria Matsiola, Constantinos Nicolaou, and Anna Podara

Journalism and Media, 2021

In this article, the quality of media studies education through effective teaching utilizing audi... more In this article, the quality of media studies education through effective teaching utilizing audiovisual media technologies and audiovisual content (audiovisual media communications) to budding journalists as adult learners (18 years and older) is researched, with results primarily intended for application in radio lessons at all educational levels and disciplines (including adult education). Nowadays, audiovisual media communications play an important role in the modern and visual-centric way of our life, while they require all of us to possess multiple-multimodal skills to have a successful professional practice and career, and especially those who study media studies, such as tomorrow’s new journalists. Data were collected after three interactive teachings with emphasis on educational effectiveness in technology-enhanced learning, through a specially designed written questionnaire with a qualitative and quantitative form (evaluation form), as case study experiments that applied q...

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Technology-Enhanced Learning in Audiovisual Education: The Case of Radio Journalism Course Design

by Maria Matsiola, Panagiotis Efst. Spiliopoulos / Παναγιώτης Ευστ. Σπηλιόπουλος, Anna Podara, and Constantinos Nicolaou

Education Sciences, 2019

Journalism is in a state of perpetual change due to the implementation of technological tools on ... more Journalism is in a state of perpetual change due to the implementation of technological tools on an everyday basis. In the contemporary news distribution environment, the boundaries between media are no longer distinct, therefore media/journalism educational institutions should adapt curricula according to the needs of each type of medium. The aim of this paper is to present the incorporated technologies in the radio journalism undergraduate course of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and evaluate their necessity according to the students themselves. After the completion of the course, which involves the use of specialized technological tools in audio recording and editing, a survey employing quantitative method based on the technology acceptance model was conducted. The results indicate that the students, despite the difficulties that were encountered due to the initial lack of knowledge on the technology applied, evaluated...

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Technology-Enhanced Learning in Audiovisual Education: The Case of Radio Journalism Course Design

by Constantinos Nicolaou, Panagiotis Efst. Spiliopoulos / Παναγιώτης Ευστ. Σπηλιόπουλος, Anna Podara, and Maria Matsiola

Education Sciences

Journalism is in a state of perpetual change due to the implementation of technological tools on ... more Journalism is in a state of perpetual change due to the implementation of technological tools on an everyday basis. In the contemporary news distribution environment, the boundaries between media are no longer distinct, therefore media/journalism educational institutions should adapt curricula according to the needs of each type of medium. The aim of this paper is to present the incorporated technologies in the radio journalism undergraduate course of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and evaluate their necessity according to the students themselves. After the completion of the course, which involves the use of specialized technological tools in audio recording and editing, a survey employing quantitative method based on the technology acceptance model was conducted. The results indicate that the students, despite the difficulties that were encountered due to the initial lack of knowledge on the technology applied, evaluated...

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Digital Storytelling in Cultural Heritage: Audience Engagement in the Interactive Documentary New Life

Sustainability

This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentar... more This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality, provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the first launch period a...

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Generation Z's screen culture: Understanding younger users' behaviour in the television streaming age -The case of post-crisis Greece

by Maria Matsiola and Anna Podara

Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average.... more Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average. As Greek TV responds to the challenges of the streaming era, new paths are forged by young viewers/users. This article, based on a survey of nearly 1,000 students, attempts to characterise the viewing patterns of young audiences, who are early adopters and heavy consumers of streaming television. We argue that whereas young Greek media users favour streaming platforms, they value the social character of traditional television, which plays a prominent role in post-crisis Greece. Young media users’ screen behaviour can be described as mobility-centred and algorithmically naïve.

Generation Z’s screen culture: Understanding younger users’ behaviour in the television streaming age – The case of post-crisis Greece

Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies, 2021

Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average.... more Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average. As Greek TV responds to the challenges of the streaming era, new paths are forged by young viewers/users. This article, based on a survey of nearly 1,000 students, attempts to characterise the viewing patterns of young audiences, who are early adopters and heavy consumers of streaming television. We argue that whereas young Greek media users favour streaming platforms, they value the social character of traditional television, which plays a prominent role in post-crisis Greece. Young media users’ screen behaviour can be described as mobility-centred and algorithmically naïve.

Media Studies, Audiovisual Media Communications, and Generations: The Case of Budding Journalists in Radio Courses in Greece

Jouralism and Media, 2021

In this article, the quality of media studies education through effective teaching utilizing audi... more In this article, the quality of media studies education through effective teaching utilizing audiovisual media technologies and audiovisual content (audiovisual media communications) to budding journalists as adult learners (18 years and older) is researched, with results primarily intended for application in radio lessons at all educational levels and disciplines (including adult education). Nowadays, audiovisual media communications play an important role in the modern and visual-centric way of our life, while they require all of us to possess multiple-multimodal skills to have a successful professional practice and career, and especially those who study media studies, such as tomorrow’s new journalists. Data were collected after three interactive teachings with emphasis on educational effectiveness in technology-enhanced learning, through a specially designed written questionnaire with a qualitative and quantitative form (evaluation form), as case study experiments that applied q...

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Audiovisual media in education and Generation Z: Application of audiovisual media theory in education with an emphasis on Radio [ΟΠΤΙΚΟΑΚΟΥΣΤΙΚΑ ΜΕΣΑ ΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗ ΚΑΙ ΓΕΝΙΑ Ζ: Η ΕΦΑΡΜΟΓΗ ΤΗΣ ΘΕΩΡΙΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΟΠΤΙΚΟΑΚΟΥΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΜΕΣΩΝ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗ ΜΕ ΕΜΦΑΣΗ ΣΤΟ ΡΑΔΙΟΦΩΝΟ]

by Constantinos Nicolaou and Anna Podara

Τα Οπτικοακουστικά Μέσα Επικοινωνίας διαδραματίζουν σημαντικό ρόλο στην Εκπαίδευση, ενώ προυποθέτ... more Τα Οπτικοακουστικά Μέσα Επικοινωνίας διαδραματίζουν σημαντικό ρόλο στην Εκπαίδευση, ενώ προυποθέτουν έναν νέο τρόπο προσέγγισης για μια αποτελεσματική διδασκαλία. Η Γενιά Ζ αποτελείται από νέους ανθρώπους που γεννήθηκαν στην ψηφιακή εποχή και ο κώδικας επικοινωνίας τους είναι ως επί το πλείστον πολυμεσικός. Ο κύριος σκοπός της έρευνας αυτής είναι η παροχή δεδομένων που θα συμβάλουν στην αποτελεσματική διδασκαλία με χρήση των οπτικοακουστικών μέσων επικοινωνίας (οπτικοακουστικά μέσα και οπτικοακουστικό περιεχόμενο) στις επόμενες γενιές. Η μελέτη βασίζεται σε ποσοτική μέθοδο ανάλυσης που χρησιμοποιεί έντυπο αξιολόγησης υπό τη μορφή ερωτηματολογίου μετά από διεξαγωγή πρότυπου μαθήματος σε άτομα της Γενιάς Ζ, εφαρμόζοντας τη θεωρία των Οπτικοακουστικών Μέσων στην Εκπαίδευση, με θέμα το ραδιόφωνο. Η έρευνα αυτή αποτελεί μέρος μιας υπό εξέλιξη έρευνας σχετικά με τη χρήση των οπτικοακουστικών μέσων στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία σε πολυεπιστημονικό επίπεδο, το τρίπτυχο Μέσα Επικοινωνίας, Οπτικοακουστικό Περιεχόμενο και Εκπαίδευση.

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Digital Storytelling in Cultural Heritage: Audience Engagement in the Interactive Documentary New Life

by Anna Podara, Dimitrios Giomelakis, Constantinos Nicolaou, and Maria Matsiola

Sustainability, 2021

This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentar... more This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality,
provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main
research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a
valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary
storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive
documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways
of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were
involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the
first launch period and latest years were investigated. We concluded that interactivity affordances of
this genre enhance the social dimension of cultural, while the key factors for sustainability are mainly
(a) constant promotion with transmedia approach; (b) data-driven evaluation and reform; and (c) a
good story that gathers relevant niches, with specific interest to the story.

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Transformation of television viewing practices in Greece: Generation Z and audiovisual content

by Anna Podara, Maria Matsiola, Theodora A . Maniou, and George Kalliris

Journal of Digital Media & Policy, 2020

In recent years, digitalization has detached television content from the television screen, and s... more In recent years, digitalization has detached television content from the television screen, and so the television is no longer the only choice for personal audiovisual consumption. The audio-visual market is facing increased fragmentation due to the multiplicity of delivering platforms. Furthermore, the digital touch has brought about far-reaching changes in people’s audio-visual consumption practices. The protagonists of this new digital landscape are the members of Generation Z (GenZ), who are early adopters of the digital innovation. In this article, contemporary consumption behaviours of audio-visual content, contrasting those at the times of traditional television viewing, are explored in the context of the GenZ community. In Greece, GenZ represent nearly 20 per cent of the entire population and makes an interesting target to be scrutinized under the prism of ongoing studies of media usage.

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