Guillermo Echauri - Journalistic Hype: WIRED's Coverage of NFTs, Metaverses and Generative AI [ETAC6 presentation]

Journalistic hype: WIRED 's coverage of NFTs, metaverses and generative AI Guillermo Echauri [email protected] “Hype is neither good nor evil: it’s atool.It can be the catalyst for genuine innovation to get funding, attention, and regulatory consideration, and it can do the same for something not so legitimate.” Gemma Milne. WIRED, October 2020 Methodology •Following previous research (Ruckenstein & Pantzar, 2017), a thematic analysis was conducted on a sample comprising 45 articles, 15 for each of the three analyzed technologies. These articles were published on WIRED’s website between 2021 and 2023. •WIRED’s contents “are not merely written to depict and analyze current events; they actively create formats and language for representing and disseminating knowledge” (Turner, 2006, p. 254). Gian Volpicelli (January 2022) states that the metaverse “is pure hype,” while Lauren Goode (November 2021) refers to the “muchhyped NFT art market.” A common element in WIRED’s narratives concerning NFTs, the metaverse, and generative AI is the observation of exaggerated enthusiasm surrounding these three emerging technologies. WIRED also sustains the hype around NFTs, the metaverse, and generative AI through a persistent and reiterated focus on these technologies and their trend-nature. “The remarkable capabilities of GPT-4 have stunned some experts and sparked debate over the potential for AI to transform the economy but also spread disinformation and eliminate jobs.” Will Knight, April 2023 As WIRED’s continuously reflects on the frenzy and hype surrounding the appearance and development of the three emerging technologies, there is a constant updating and a rapid acceleration of WIRED’s thematic interests and its journalistic discourse. •WIRED actively participates in the generation of journalistic, digital, and technological trends that underpin a sense of ever-updating technological innovation. WIRED’s steady interest in emerging technologies reinforces the sense of hype surrounding digital technologies. •WIRED engages in an accelerated treatment that fosters hype trends by incorporating with interest and determination into its journalistic coverage perspectives that value the different edges of the latest updates regarding emerging technologies and their repercussions. Conclusion