Raul Ferrer Conill

Raul Ferrer Conill is a Professor in Journalism at the Department of Media and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stavanger (UiS), Norway. His work bridges media sociology, institutional theory, and digital technology, with a strong focus on datafication, audience engagement, and the transformation of journalistic practices. He leads the interdisciplinary Digital Society Research Group and is a key researcher in a Research Council of Norway-funded project on media policy and digital infrastructures.

Research Interests: His research explores how digital platforms, data metrics, and gamification reshape journalism. He investigates how social processes are quantified and instrumentalized, particularly focusing on engagement metrics, native advertising, and the erosion of journalistic autonomy. His work critically examines digital infrastructures, platform power, and the implications for democratic communication and media policy in Nordic welfare states.

Publication Trends: Over the past decade, Ferrer Conill’s publications reveal a consistent trajectory from early work on gamification in journalism to current critical analyses of datafication, platform capture, and infrastructural dependencies. His research increasingly emphasizes the political economy of digital media, regulatory challenges, and the reconfiguration of public communication.

Scientific Awards:

• Bob Franklin Journal Article Award (Taylor and Francis)
• Honorable Mention, Wolfgang Donsbach Outstanding Article Award (ICA)
• Best Dissertation Award (Swedish Media and Communication Research Association)
• Top Faculty and Top Student Paper Awards (ICA)
• Honorable Mention, Best Teacher Award (Karlstad Student Association)

Advising and Grants: While no formal students are listed, he actively mentors through research projects and supervises within PhD and master’s programs. He currently leads a major research project funded by the Research Council of Norway on datafication and media policy. His leadership in the Digital Society Research Group fosters collaborative, interdisciplinary scholarship across methodological traditions.

Labs and Teams: He leads the Digital Society Research Group at UiS, an interdisciplinary collective focused on the societal implications of digital transformation. He frequently collaborates with scholars such as Helle Sjøvaag, Michael Karlsson, and Steen Steensen on projects analyzing digital infrastructures, platform power, and journalistic change.