On the Inside of the Mojo Community

The study “We in the Mojo Community” provides unique insights into a new arena for informal learning in journalism. In this community, the members engage in physical and virtual gatherings to discuss, experiment and share new technological knowledge. The study was newly published in Journalism Practice, and it emerged from the data that many community members profit considerably from the collective learning processes in the network.

According to the article, many informants of the study and members of the community’s core group were affiliated with big Western, mainly European, broadcast organizations.

The authors typify the members as “technologically inclined journalists”. A main issue for reporters who engage in this specialized network is to develop what the authors call “a mojo mindset”.

“The community is seen by the informants as a kind of ´spiritual home,´ a place to meet with like-minded people who understand themselves not only as ´mobile journalists,´ ´mojos,´ or ´mobile trainers´,” they explain. The members are convinced that mojo journalism is so special that it breaks with existing routines and organizational structures.

And moreover: “Journalists working as global ´mojo trainers´ reported that mojo practices seem to be more quickly and more consistently adopted in Eastern Europe and some developing countries. In the absence of other resources, journalists tend to embrace mobile technology with more conviction. Developing a mojo mindset, in turn, is rooted in their engagement with four interrelated thematic issues: (1) a need for belonging and unity with likeminded colleagues, (2) perceived resistance against mobile journalism in traditional TV newsrooms, (3) a need for orientation, knowledge extension, and support, and (4) sustainable protection of jobs.

Read the full article here.