Abstract
This study investigates the effects of variation in “congeniality” of news on Facebook user engagement (likes, shares, and comments). We compile an original data set of Facebook posts by 84 German news outlets on politicians that were investigated for criminal offenses from January 2012 to June 2017. We also construct an index of each outlet's media slant by comparing the language of the outlet with that of the main political parties, which allows us to measure the congeniality of the posts. We find that user engagement with congenial posts is higher than with uncongenial ones, especially in terms of likes. The within-outlet, within-topic design allows us to infer that the greater engagement with congenial news is likely driven by psychological and social factors, rather than a desire for accurate or otherwise instrumental information.
Highlights
It is well known that concerns about “echo chambers” and “filter bubbles”—citizens limiting their news consumption to belief-confirming or amplifying sources—have grown rapidly in recent years
It is entirely possible that politically congenial news1 is more likely to be believed by partisan media consumers, but that congeniality could lead to greater engagement with the news
Assuming that there is at least some homophily: 1) Social media users are likely to engage with uncongenial and congenial news, or more likely to engage with uncongenial news, if engagement is motivated by providing Friends with intrinsically or instrumentally useful information
Summary
It is well known that concerns about “echo chambers” and “filter bubbles”—citizens limiting their news consumption to belief-confirming or amplifying sources—have grown rapidly in recent years. The corresponding academic literature has grown as well; see Guess et al (2018) for a recent review. They conclude that “selective exposure to like-minded political news is less prevalent than you think.”. It is entirely possible that politically congenial news is more likely to be believed by partisan media consumers, but that congeniality could lead to greater engagement with the news. Consumers may be more likely to endorse, pass on, respond to, or pay greater attention to more congenial news. These reactions could influence one’s own political beliefs and actions, and those of fellow citizens, with important welfare effects
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