Abstract:How is political news shared online? This fundamental question for political communication research in today’s news ecology is still poorly understood. In particular, very little is known about whether and how news sharing differs from news viewing. Based on a unique dataset of ≈ 870,000 URLs shared ≈ 100 million times on Facebook, grouped by countries, age brackets, and months, we study the correlates of viewing versus sharing of political versus non-political news. We first identify websites that at least oc… Show more
“…Unlike algorithmic exposure, which refers to the mere presentation of content to users, algorithmic curation involves a more active selection and arrangement of information tailored to individual preferences and interests (Bandy & Diakopoulos, 2021;Gausen et al, 2022;Jürgens & Stark, 2022;Swart, 2021). Algorithmic curation operates on the principle of filtering and prioritizing content based on various factors such as relevance, popularity, and user behavior (Shin et al, 2023;Trilling et al, 2022). By leveraging vast amounts of data, algorithms aim to deliver personalized experiences to users, offering them content that aligns with their preferences and keeping them engaged based on their past behavior, interests, and demographic characteristics.…”
Algorithmic curation has emerged as a significant force shaping political communication in the digital era. This process involves actively selecting and organizing information to cater to individual preferences and moderate harmful content, greatly impacting the flow of information and potentially the formation of public opinion. Algorithmic personalization and content moderation are integral components of algorithmic curation. By leveraging vast amounts of data, algorithms aim to deliver personalized experiences to users, aligning content with their interests and past behaviors and to contain content that violates platform guidelines, such as misinformation, hate speech, explicit material, or harassment. However, concerns have been raised about potential biases and unintended consequences of algorithmic decision-making. Algorithmic curation has profound implications for democratic processes, as it can reinforce existing beliefs, impede exposure to diverse perspectives and create filter bubbles. Understanding the complexities of algorithmic curation in the realm of political communication is therefore crucial for researchers, policymakers, and society at large. Balancing personalization and the promotion of diverse viewpoints is essential to foster an informed and engaged citizenry in the digital age.
“…Unlike algorithmic exposure, which refers to the mere presentation of content to users, algorithmic curation involves a more active selection and arrangement of information tailored to individual preferences and interests (Bandy & Diakopoulos, 2021;Gausen et al, 2022;Jürgens & Stark, 2022;Swart, 2021). Algorithmic curation operates on the principle of filtering and prioritizing content based on various factors such as relevance, popularity, and user behavior (Shin et al, 2023;Trilling et al, 2022). By leveraging vast amounts of data, algorithms aim to deliver personalized experiences to users, offering them content that aligns with their preferences and keeping them engaged based on their past behavior, interests, and demographic characteristics.…”
Algorithmic curation has emerged as a significant force shaping political communication in the digital era. This process involves actively selecting and organizing information to cater to individual preferences and moderate harmful content, greatly impacting the flow of information and potentially the formation of public opinion. Algorithmic personalization and content moderation are integral components of algorithmic curation. By leveraging vast amounts of data, algorithms aim to deliver personalized experiences to users, aligning content with their interests and past behaviors and to contain content that violates platform guidelines, such as misinformation, hate speech, explicit material, or harassment. However, concerns have been raised about potential biases and unintended consequences of algorithmic decision-making. Algorithmic curation has profound implications for democratic processes, as it can reinforce existing beliefs, impede exposure to diverse perspectives and create filter bubbles. Understanding the complexities of algorithmic curation in the realm of political communication is therefore crucial for researchers, policymakers, and society at large. Balancing personalization and the promotion of diverse viewpoints is essential to foster an informed and engaged citizenry in the digital age.
“…Another factor to consider is the general audience reach of outlets (e.g. only considering popular outlets; Stier, Breuer, et al, 2020;Trilling et al, 2022;Wojcieszak, de Leeuw, et al, 2021). However, this should involve discussions on whether sources with a small reach (e.g., small websites or TV stations) should be part of the population, depending on the particular research interest.…”
Section: Theoretical Implications and Challengesmentioning
This dissertation examines the impact of a digital information environment on media diversity and the types of political news people consume. The study is based on four sub-studies, two of which focus on methodological and conceptual challenges faced by researchers in studying media diversity in the digital environment. In Chapter 2, a systematic literature review of over 200 academic articles was conducted to identify gaps in existing research, revealing that most studies on media diversity rely on outdated ideas from an era dominated by mass media, and do not consider the impact of personalization and fragmentation. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the challenges associated with collecting digital traces for research purposes, including data access, privacy, and usability of data collection tools. The chapter offers recommendations on how researchers can collect data from multiple platforms and devices to improve their studies. Chapter 4 and 5 examine the impact of fragmentation and personalization on news diversity. The main findings of these studies show that fragmentation leads to less diverse news consumption, whereas personalization leads to more niche and diverse consumption. Overall, the dissertation concludes that the digital environment has fundamentally changed the way people engage with news and that media diversity research needs to evolve to reflect these changes, considering aspects such as personalization and fragmentation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.