Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Research on New Media Economics That Makes Sense (and Hopefully Makes a Difference)

When proposing a research topic, start with

1) a real-world phenomenon:

 Start with what’s new (by that I mean “what’s unusual and thus worth looking at,” not “here comes another technology so let’s apply the same old theory.”) -- check industry news for inspiration;

Identify a "problem" (and imply you can solve it through research).

2) an economic concept that you find interesting and relevant (e.g., inferior vs. normal goods; market structure; media concentration; engagement): Go through our readings and PPT slides.

Then ask yourself:

Is this important? (Important to whom?)

Is your RQ answerable? (If you like hypotheses, test only counter-intuitive ones.)

What kind of data do you need? (Demand-side vs. supply-side data)

Where are they? (Try find them.)

Unit of analysis: Users, products, or news organizations

It's just that simple!

By next Tuesday (noon), post two plausible research topics or questions on the blog.

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