doxa.comunicación | 26, pp. 129-143 | 128

January-June 2018

Education for the management of social networks in communication degrees in Spain... Mariché Navío Navarro, Laura González-Díez y Belén Puebla-Martínez

ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978

Resumen:

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo principal realizar un análisis pormenorizado de la oferta formativa sobre la gestión de redes so-ciales en los grados de comunicación en la universidad española, en el marco del EEES, y comprobar si se adecúa en materia curricular y metodológica a las necesidades del mercado de los distintos perfiles laborales propios del community management. En cuanto a la me-todología, se han seleccionado tres técnicas de análisis para la obten-ción de los objetivos propuestos y la verificación de las hipótesis, de tal manera que proporcionemos al estudio una triangulación meto-dológica que validez a los resultados obtenidos. Estos resultados se han agrupado atendiendo a diferentes criterios, desde la especifici-dad y carácter de las asignaturas analizadas hasta el curso en el que se imparten. En el análisis, se determina si las materias que incluyen contenidos teóricos o prácticos referidos a la comunicación en redes sociales permiten la adquisición de las competencias específicas ne-cesarias para la óptima empleabilidad de los egresados en profesio-nes vinculadas a la gestión de la comunicación de marketing en estas plataformas. Todo ello ha permitido obtener como principal conclu-sión que las universidades españolas no incluyen materias específicas sobre redes sociales de manera transversal en los planes de estudios de sus titulaciones, a lo que se une el hecho de que las universidades que ofertan asignaturas específicas sobre redes sociales no adaptan el diseño de estos programas formativos a las necesidades de las empre-sas en cuanto a los contenidos que incluyen y las competencias que desarrollan en sus alumnos.

Palabras clave:

Relación universidad-empresa, título universitario, comunicación, community manager, redes sociales, social media

Abstract:

The main objective of this research paper is to carry out a detailed analysis of the educational curriculum of social media management in communication degrees at Spanish universities within the framework of the EHEA, as well as to verify whether the curricular content and methodology meet the needs of the labor market linked to different job profiles related to community management. Regarding the research methodology used, three analysis techniques have been selected to achieve the proposed objectives and to verify the hypotheses, and for this reason we have used a methodological triangulation for the study in order to give validity to the results. These results have been grouped according to different criteria, from the specificity and nature of the subjects analyzed to the course in which they are taught. In this analysis, we have attempted to determine whether the subjects that include theoretical or practical contents regarding social media communication allow for the acquisition of the specific skills required for optimum employability of graduates in professions related to the management of marketing communications on these platforms. All of the above has led us to the main conclusion, which is that Spanish universities do not include specific subjects in social networks in a cross-curricular way in their degree programs. Furthermore, we must mention the fact that universities that offer specific subjects related to social networks do not adapt the design of these educational programs to the needs of companies in terms of the content they include and the skills they help their students to develop.

Keywords:

University-industry collaboration, university degree, communica-tion, community manager, social networks.

Recibido: 27/04/2018 - Aceptado: 29/04/2018

Received: 27/04/2018 - Accepted: 29/04/2018

1. Introduction

The evolution of the World Wide Web to the so-called web 2.0 allowed sites and instruments that were housed therein to possess an interactive layer (O’Reilly, 2005), something that was unknown until that time (García Estévez, 2012). This social dimension of the web in this second stage of development led users to interact with each other through virtual platforms, which generated interconnected social networks in digital environments. Among the most relevant types of sites in this web 2.0 environment were social media (Rodríguez Fernández, 2013), also called social networking sites (SNS) or social media, which were highlighted by the multidirectional communication they offered people (García Aretio, 2007). As point-ed out by García Estévez (2012: 1), “The social web represented a before and after for the entire society in all spheres of life. From the most personal and intimate scenes to those of the professional and academic level”. Institutions, immersed in this process of change, had to adapt to this new form of interrelation between individuals in order to respond to their social, economic, technological and communication needs (Huijboom et al., 2009).