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Effects of News Factors on Users’ News Attention and Selective Exposure on a News Aggregator Website

“…It refers to the socialization argument, because actions by powerful elites are more likely to have societal consequences than actions by ordinary people (Eilders 1997;Galtung and Ruge 1965). Studies have shown that power elite has an impact on selective exposure to offline and online news (Donsbach 1991;Hautzer, Lünich, and Rössler 2012;Kessler and Engelmann 2019). Power elite is clearly visible in news headlines on a news aggregator if powerful actors (e.g., politicians in government), organizations, institutions (e.g., the government, WHO, NATO) or nations (e.g., US, China) are mentioned.…”

“…This news factor may signal relevance to users, because actions by well-known (i.e., important) people typically have greater consequences than actions by ordinary people (socialization argument). Empirical research has shown that prominence influences selective exposure in offline (Donsbach 1991;Eilders 1997) and online news contexts (Hautzer, Lünich, and Rössler 2012). Prominence can be displayed in headlines on the news aggregator by naming well-known persons and celebrities, e.g., from sports, film, or television.…”

“…Experiments show that conflict increases perceived relevance (Weber and Wirth 2013) and influences users' selective exposure (Engelmann and Wendelin 2017). Studies combining content analyses of news coverage with observations or surveys of recipients confirm the influence of conflict on the audience's selective exposure in offline and online contexts (Donsbach 1991;Eilders 1997;Hautzer, Lünich, and Rössler 2012;Kessler and Engelmann 2019). News aggregators can highlight conflicts as characteristics of events by naming individual, institutional, or state actors with conflicting opinions and/or using conflict-laden terms (e.g., dispute, protest, war).…”