News Cycle in Online Media: Networked Worlds of Past and Future

Abstract

This paper investigates the specific models and patterns of production, dissemination and dynamics of news in the Bosnia and Herzegovina online sphere, as well as the mechanisms which prolong or reduce news cycles. The research assumption is that the news network is created and maintained under the influence of the specifics of journalism, as well as based on the interest of the audience for a particular topic and under the influence of the mainstream influencers who, within the context of political influence, the dominant ideologies and participatory cultures determine the news cycles and create the prevailing discourse. This research was carried out based on the media coverage of the topics related to the recent war history (revision of the verdict by the Hague Tribunal on Bosnia and Herzegovina's lawsuit against Serbia), and on the topics related to the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina (coordination mechanism in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration), all in order to prove that the topics related to the past have an extended lifecycle and a stronger impact on the audience.