La competencia digital y su importancia en el perfil profesional del comunicador institucional de Machala, 2019

Abstract

The present research work, case analysis modality, finds its problems in identifying the importance of digital competence in the professional profile of the institutional communicator of the XXI century, a problem that must be analyzed, as an object of study, by professionals and students in communication, which will help to know if what they learn in the classrooms, in matters of institutional communication, is relevant with what is required in the professional exercise in the territory, according to the demands of the Knowledge Society. The general objective of the research is to relate the digital competence with the professional profile of the communicator of public and private institutions in Machala city, year 2019. For this purpose, a case analysis is structured, focused on the professional profile of the communicator of six institutions, an analysis that relies on a qualitative approach methodology, using the triangulation of techniques such as: interview, participatory observation, complemented with the use of the documentary design technique and the bibliographic review, each of them with its respective analysis matrix. It is worth mentioning that at the beginning of the research it was only proposed to analyze the profile of the institutional communicator, but when the research took place, the high protagonism of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the professional exercise of the institutional communicator became evident, which gave a qualitative change to the study, thus incorporating digital competence as an analysis variable. The results show the innovative characteristics that condition the professional profile of the institutional communicator, which are: management of publishing programs for the creation of digital communicational products, management of social networks and writing for the web, without leaving aside the main axis of communication, which is storytelling. In the interviews, there was talk of a connection ecosystem where, thanks to ICTs, new disciplines and specializations have appeared within communication, being this a positive contribution since it positions communication as one of the careers of the future. In this regard, specialists in communication and technology recommend that the communicator should be trained in the digital environment since university classrooms. Among the conclusions, it is evident that institutional communication, as well as technology, is in constant transformation and that is why a continuous training of the institutional communicator in technical-technological subjects is demanded. As for the institutional communication in Machala, the support and commitment of the authorities for the training of their human talent in digital literacy is basic, since the institutional communicators interviewed are predisposed to further develop their digital competence. For this reason, it is recommended that the institutional communicator in the territory incorporate the assiduous practice of technology to overcome the professional challenges that await him in his working life, since these provide unique skills and abilities, which give a differentiated value and competitive advantage to his profile, but the most important thing is that it allows effective, efficient and effective communication with the user of his institutions.