Online engagement of active communicative behaviors and news consumption on Internet portal sites

Abstract

Through a quantitative content analysis, this study examines how varying online communicative behaviors are connected to news characteristics of focus, tone, and media framing of crisis communication during the South Korean Candlelight Revolution that led to the ouster of former President Park in 2017. This work suggests that, when the news stance was positive toward or the focus was on Park, Koreans were more active in showing disapproval through comments posted and anger expressed; when the news stance was negative toward Park or the focus was anti-Park, Koreans were more tacitly supportive, clicking likes more. This work also suggests that news media performed active frame-setting of Park’s crisis-response strategies by presenting more defensive strategies than accommodative ones. Publics’ news consumption of media-framed defensive crisis-response strategies tended to elicit more active online public engagement than when such media framing was absent.