News Users Research Articles

News Users on Facebook: Interaction Strategies on the Pages of El Paìs, la Repubblica, Le Monde, and The Guardian

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to study journalistic production and how news users interact with it. More specifically, the approach adopted is an attempt to bridge the gap between the analysis of how news outlets disseminate their news on social media platforms, and that relating to the use of such news within social contexts. To achieve this twofold objective, the content published on Facebook, as well as the interactions of users of four newspapers published in Spain (El Paìs), Italy (la Repubblica), France (Le Monde), and the UK (The Guardian), were analyzed during a period of six months (1 November 2016 – 30 April 2017). The newspapers were selected as quality daily newspapers, in view of their liberal or center-left political orientation, and their common editorial experience, resulting from the production of special issues. The analysis highlights a widespread trend towards light engagement. These readings are supported not only by the data on various interaction practices (likes, sharing, and commenting), but also by those that describe the use of Reactions – or rather, the chance to go beyond the simple Like.

Gaussian Processes for Rumour Stance Classification in Social Media

Social media tend to be rife with rumours while new reports are released piecemeal during breaking news. Interestingly, one can mine multiple reactions expressed by social media users in those situations, exploring their stance towards rumours, ultimately enabling the flagging of highly disputed rumours as being potentially false. In this work, we set out to develop an automated, supervised classifier that uses multi-task learning to classify the stance expressed in each individual tweet in a conversation around a rumour as either supporting, denying or questioning the rumour. Using a Gaussian Process classifier, and exploring its effectiveness on two datasets with very different characteristics and varying distributions of stances, we show that our approach consistently outperforms competitive baseline classifiers. Our classifier is especially effective in estimating the distribution of different types of stance associated with a given rumour, which we set forth as a desired characteristic for a rumour-tracking system that will show both ordinary users of Twitter and professional news practitioners how others orient to the disputed veracity of a rumour, with the final aim of establishing its actual truth value.

Material and sensory dimensions of everyday news use

This article seeks to capture material and sensory dimensions of everyday news use that usually remain unexplored. To that end, we developed a two-sided-ethnography, filming people while they use news, allowing both researchers and participants to look in and reflect on their news use. Tapping into news users’ embodied, tacit knowledge, we found that the materiality of devices and platforms and the ways users physically handle and navigate them impact how they engage with news, in ways they themselves had not realized. We also deepened our understanding of previously found news user practices, and identified the distinct practice scrolling, which is characterized by an embodied urge to keep up the movement of the hand, even when the user finds content appealing. Finally, we show how people actively ‘make’ place and time through their news practices, using coping strategies that mediate between the comfortability of ritual news use and the disruptiveness of news content. We conclude by discussing the theoretical, methodological, and epistemological implications of our research, which include a call for a more in-situ, real-time, and non-news-centric approach to studying everyday news use.

Users Intention for Continuous Usage of Mobile News Apps: the Roles of Quality, Switching Costs, and Personalization

Mobile news apps have emerged as a significant means for learning about latest news and trends. However, in light of numerous news apps and information overload, motivating users to adopt one app is a major concern for both the industry and academia. Therefore, considering the attributes of mobile news and the debate on switching costs in the Internet context, based on the expectation-confirmation model (ECM), this study suggests that switching costs still exist and have a significant moderating effect on user satisfaction and continuous usage of mobile news apps. Furthermore, the different influences of information quality, system quality and service quality on continuance intention, user satisfaction and switching costs are discussed, showing that quality of information has a significant impact on users’ continuous usage of mobile news apps through increasing perceived usefulness, whereas personalized service quality have stronger effects through increasing user satisfaction and switching costs.

Regaining Control Citizens who follow politicians on social media and their perceptions of journalism

The use of social media by politicians has received much scholarly interest. However, much less is known about the citizens who follow them and whether their motivation to seek information directly from political actors is linked to perceptions of journalism practice. To address this gap, this paper examines the motivations of news users, in six countries (Australia, Germany, Ireland, Spain, UK and USA), who also follow politicians and political parties on social media. Analysis of data from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2017 shows the desire to access information unfiltered by journalists was the primary motivation, followed by partisan support, and dissatisfaction with elements of mainstream political reporting. Additional logistic regression analyses for each country reveals these ‘followers’ are younger, have a higher interest in political news, stronger political orientation and efficacy, and participate more in sharing and commenting, than ‘non-followers’. Drawing on contemporary gatekeeping theory and the curation of information flows, this paper highlights the desire of these politically interested news users for greater control over the information they consume and raises questions about the impact of negative perceptions of journalism on the desire to seek alternative information sources.

Reading Digital News: Hypertextual Usage Habits and Learning Practices Among U.S. Communication Undergraduates

Hypertext as a nonlinear, computer-based or digital text that is now used along with conventional, linear printed text and can be described as a relatively advanced text type. Moreover, hypertextuality is among the characteristics which differentiate online news from printed news. While digital writing has become more advanced with hypertextuality, its impact on users’ reading habits has gained importance as an underlying matter. In this context, the present research aims to provide an analysis of users’ experiences of reading digital news in the context of hypertextuality. This study begins by summarizing the studies on hypertextuality and news users. Following this, a case study is presented to analyze newspaper users’ reading habits in a digital setting to propose empirical evidence for the theoretical ideas of poststructuralist thinkers on hypertextuality. This part focuses on the hypertext reception practices of UMASS/Amherst Department of Communication undergraduate students through analysis of their news consumption patterns via an online survey. Based on the findings, this study contributes to the literature regarding journalism, technology, and digital writing by identifying the advantages and disadvantages of reading digital news. Although hypertextuality invites both writers and users to think in a nonlinear and cooperative way, it also leads to polarized opinions and newly emerging ethical issues. 

‘Hot news’ and perfect change: mirativity and the semantics/pragmatics interface

This paper proposes an analysis of the hot news Present Perfect (PP) building on Nishiyama & Koenig’s (2010) analysis of the perfect as denoting a perfect state introduced by a variable that needs to be pragmatically enriched. Pragmatic meaning is analysed extending Rett & Murray’s (2013) representation of mirative meaning as the target state of a learning event, which I take to be the speaker’s reaction of surprise more generally. The analysis is considered in the light of noncanonical uses of the PP in Australian English narratives and police media reports. I argue that hot news usage is at the basis of such extensions and propose representations for uses in sequences of clauses expressing temporal progression and in clauses containing a definite past time adverbial. The paper concludes by discussing the present analysis in the light of previous research and its implication to our understanding of the grammaticalization of perfects.

Not So Distinct After All: Assessing Social Stratification of News Users on the Web

ABSTRACTStudies in journalism and cultural sociology have long identified differences in the types of news consumed by people from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds. Relying on population surveys, they have primarily found readers or viewers of popular news types such as tabloid newspapers to be vastly different from those of so-called serious types, notably broadsheets. This article contributes to this debate in two ways: first of all by studying social stratification of online rather than offline news users, and secondly by using digital trace data rather than self-reported questionnaires to document patterns of consumption. Taking Danish news websites as a case in point, the article analyses the relationship between news use and three key sociodemographic characteristics: age, gender, and education. Departing from theories of social stratification, the article formulates three hypotheses about the distribution of Danish news users and then analyses web usage across a national sample using commercial audience data. The results show that Danish news users display more similarities than differences across sociodemographic groups, suggesting that social stratification is less prevalent than prior research indicate. In conclusion, the article discusses these somewhat surprising results in relation to the study design and theoretical contributions.

Millennials at the back gates: how young adults’ digital news practices present a new media logic for news gathering and gatekeeping as user-oriented activities in a participatory news ecosystem

ABSTRACTThe participatory nature of the contemporary news ecosystem makes it increasingly important to examine how digital news users are active participants in selecting, authenticating, contextualizing, and distributing digital news content, redefining our understanding of news gathering and gatekeeping as being user-oriented activities in this digital order. This qualitative study provides insight into the motivations, perceptions, and attitudes of millennials regarding their digital news practices, while highlighting their roles as distributive news gatherers and reciprocal gatekeepers.

Media Repertoires and News Trust During the Early Trump Administration

Levels of news media trust have been steadily declining in the United States since the 1970s and frequent attacks against the press have characterized the first year of the Trump presidency. This study focuses on the relationship between media trust, news repertoires and support for Trump. Our goal was two-fold: first, we tested how individual predispositions influence patterns of media consumption (repertoires), which in turn predict news trust. Then, we analyze how attitudes about Trump relate to repertoires and media trust. Survey results revealed four repertoires: low news users/some local news, news junkies, conservative news users, and mainstream news users. News junkies and mainstream news users trusted the media more, while conservative news users had the lowest levels of trust. Support for Trump is the strongest predictor of news distrust, even controlling for conservatism and news repertoires. Findings suggest that the impact of a White House that is hostile to the press goes beyond the way partisanship affects media trust.

The hidden side of news diffusion: Understanding online news sharing as an interpersonal behavior

Unlike previous approaches to online news sharing behaviors dealing with the dissemination of information to broader audiences, this article interprets that behavior as an act of relational communication. Drawing from surveys of 400 online news users, we examine how they manage their self-presentation and account for their audience’s characteristics differently when they engage in online news sharing activities on mobile instant messenger (MIM) and social networking site (SNS). Our findings suggest that individuals who are highly motivated by self-presentation share news online more than others. Individuals also target different audiences, depending on their media environments. Specifically, SNS users are more cautious about their audiences’ connections with other users. The implications are that news sharing behaviors are a type of communication used for forming relationships and managing impressions beyond informational purposes, based on active individuals’ strategic considerations of their audiences’ characteristics.

OF CONTENT FORMATION AND ANALYSIS FEATURES IN ONLINE NEWSPAPER OF MUSIC NEWS

Context. Negative factors in shaping the content complicate necessary data finding process when scanning various sources. Increased volume and variable Relevance / content flow dynamics (regular and non regular updates) leads to duplication and excessive information noise content in search results. Coverage and synthesis of large dynamic flow of content are continuously generating Internet media requires qualitatively new methods / approaches of search as a content monitoring.Objective. The work purpose is to develop content forming and anlizing method in online newspaper for the active involvement of regular users of news and information resource increase audytoryii target. The objective is to develop a system to distribute music news using content monitoring method for creation and content anlizing in information resource of online newspaper.Method. Input information for content-monitoring is a natural language into a sequence of symbols, background information – a partition table, sentences and tokens analyzed text. Content monitoring is a software tool for automation of the important components in the flow of content. This is meaningful analysis of streams of content for the purpose of obtaining the necessary permanent qualitative / quantitative sections within pre-defined period of time not. Content monitoring component is content search and content analysis of the text. Content analysis designed to search for content in an array of data for linguistic semantic units. The unit of account is a quantitative measure of the unit of analysis that allows you to record the frequency (regularity) symbol appears in the text analysis category (number of certain words or combinations of lines, characters, pages, paragraphs, copyright sheets of text area, etc.).Results. The problem of current research and development of methods and means of processing information resources information systems intellectual formation content with the use of the classification, mathematical and software and the generalized system architecture are solved. The necessity of methods and means development of information resources processing in intelligent information systems forming content by improving the system architecture to automate processes of formation, management and implementation of content.Conclusions. The content analysis use in monitoring Internet data sources automates the finding process of the most important components in content flow in data selection from these sources. This eliminates duplicate content information noise, parasitic content redundancy results and more. This method is used in subsequent stages of content for more accurate relevant results – create a unique content that is in demand.

Social credibility online: The role of online comments in assessing news article credibility

This 2 × 2 experimental study (N = 196) tested the effects of source expertise and opinion valence in readers’ comments on the credibility of an online news story about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Source expertise had a significant influence on perceptions of article credibility; articles were judged more credible when public comments embedded in the story were from expert sources (e.g., scientists) rather than nonexpert sources (e.g., Twitter users). Effects were larger on high-frequency news users, regardless of whether comments were for or against GMOs. Results suggest that Internet users mainly use the peripheral or heuristic route of information processing to evaluate online news credibility. The importance for online journalism of social heuristics via opinions of other people is discussed.

Understanding online consumption of public affairs news in Malaysia

Abstract Evidence from past news research suggested that people are less interested to read hard news including public affairs news. Focusing on Malaysia, this study examines the role of demographic variables, mobile and social media use for news, perceived news credibility and users’ motivations for news in explaining online consumption of public affairs news in the setting which is known for its tight media control. An online survey was employed to collect data from Malaysian Internet users, aged between 18 and 64, who regularly read news online. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. The findings of the study suggest that digital immigrants, or older news users, are more likely to consume public affairs news than young ones. Malaysians read public affairs news which they perceive to be highly credible to fulfill their information and social needs. News organizations in Malaysia can use these findings to design a strategic approach for a more competitive news industry.

Going native on Facebook: a content analysis of sponsored messages on undergraduate student Facebook pages

This paper examines the prevalence and nature of sponsored messages on Facebook. Results of a content analysis of desktop and mobile Facebook pages from 52 undergraduate student subjects showed 53% of sponsored messages in the desktop sample and 100% of sponsored messages in the mobile sample would be categorised as native advertising, as they were located in the user's news feed. Approximately 12% of all news feed posts were sponsored posts and almost 90% of sponsored news feed posts were based on the user's or user's friends' actions. The majority of the sponsoring advertisers were from companies established after the year 2000, and only 11% were leading US advertisers.

Significant Effects of Online News on Vote Choice: A Review

Current trend around the world witnesses the usage of online news widely to spread news to reach certain audiences. It was also chosen by the public in recent years as a source to obtain news compared to the traditional media due to degree of freedom offered by the medium. This review paper examines four main issues related to the key predictor for vote choice: information highlighted in online news, satisfaction with the government, candidate personality and political party performances. Studies revealed that online news has a significant effect towards vote choice. News highlighted on online channels has the capacity to change the people's perception about a country's political rule and development. It will ultimately be translated into vote choices, namely in deciding the best candidate or political party which the public believes can serve them in forming a better nation.

News sharing as reciprocal exchanges in social cohesion maintenance

ABSTRACTThis paper examines digital news sharing between news consumers, often via social media, as a form of reciprocal exchange. Reciprocity is the informal exchange of goods and favors between people for mutual benefit and to maintain social cohesion. The study draws on seven focus groups of mobile news users of ages 18 to over 66 to explore the structure of news sharing and reciprocity, the values attached to shared news and the norms underpinning exchange behavior. Findings show that news reciprocity manifests in direct and indirect exchanges. The interviewees note that news sharing is neither haphazard nor casual. It involves strategic actions playing on implicit standards to optimize mutual offerings of news that are instrumentally and symbolically valuable. The data show that notions of reciprocity shape how often and in what form people share news with friends, for example, using chat apps to guarantee responses. Participants exchanged news items they felt would help the relationship prosper and thrive just as they avoided those that they thought would offend. Thus, the exchange of news becomes an element in the maintenance and development of social relationships.

News Values, Cognitive Biases, and Partisan Incivility in Comment Sections

Partisan incivility is prevalent in news comments, but we have limited insight into how journalists and news users engage with it. Gatekeeping, cognitive bias, and social identity theories suggest that journalists may tolerate incivility while users actively promote partisan incivility. Using 9.6 million comments from The New York Times, we analyze whether the presence of uncivil and partisan terms affects how journalists and news users engage with comments. Results show that partisanship and incivility increase recommendations and the likelihood of receiving an abuse flag. Swearing increases the likelihood of a comment being rejected and reduces the chances of being highlighted as a NYT Pick. These findings suggest that journalists and news users interact with partisan incivility differently, and that some forms of incivility may be promoted or tacitly accepted in comments.

The Cognitive Information Effect of Televised News.

The purpose of this review is to summarize the key findings which prove that the biased perceptions of viewers may provide an inaccurate image of the informational validity of televised news. The news may generate distorted recollections of what occurred in particular reported events if displayed routines influence viewers not to pay attention to the essential features of a narrative. Elaborating on Fiske and Hartley (2010), Zelizer (2010), and Gunter (2015), we indicate that the character of the news setting has altered and individuals’ news consumption routines have changed in adapting to media advancements. The news may be undergone at various psychological stages by news publics. Televised news may transmit information undeviatingly to publics that may (not) be committed successfully to memory. Our paper shows that individuals’ skills to handle information that is displayed in a linguistic configuration are influenced by their abilities in the utilization of certain symbol systems that are employed to represent notions and meanings. Televised news may shape what individuals grasp, influence their perceptions, convictions, and views regarding prevailing events and matters, and transmit knowledge and interpretation. If news stories can be jotted down in a linguistic style that sidesteps making needless processing demands and captivate news users by facilitating them to make connections with former knowledge, they may be more worthy of note and more edifying. We conclude that news narratives present a cognitive demanding task to individuals, displaying novel information regarding evolving events in a multifarious format. Broadcast news exhibits intricate contents, displaying configurations that employ excessively the cognitive abilities for information processing of viewers.

When News Meets the Audience: How Audience Feedback Online Affects News Production and Consumption

Innovations in communication technology have changed the way news is produced and consumed. Various digital platforms, ranging from news websites to social media sites to personal blogs, have enabled news users to indicate how much they like the news they have read, to share it with others, and to leave comments. News users' mouse clicks are automatically recorded and aggregated by computational systems and made publicly visible (e.g., “Most Read Articles”). This essay reviews the ever-growing research on how audience feedback online, a hybrid form of interpersonal and mass communication, alters various stages of news production and influences the way people select, process, and make sense of the news. Future research agendas are proposed.