Elitist Echelons. The Institutional Identity of Online Book Reviewing in the Netherlands

Abstract

The introduction of new media intensifies the need of traditional media to re-evaluate their institutional function and, more importantly, to reshape their identity. Presenting a case study from the field of book reviewing, this article critically explores this tension between old and new media. In order to grasp such a friction, it makes use of the concept of institutional identity, which is defined as a complex blend of an institution’s auto-presentation and hetero-presentation. Analyzing the institutional identity of the Dutch book reviewing website “De Reactor,” the article shows how a discrepancy between the acts of auto-presentation and hetero-presentation reveals a discursive battle between old and new media.