‘Their two cents worth’: Exploring user agency in readers’ comments in online news media

Abstract

This paper explores the assumption that user-generated content in mass media websites gives audiences greater power over influencing news making. Employing a content analysis of readers’ comments in various Greek online mass media, the study examines whether commenters assume any of the core journalistic functions regarding news production, in terms of setting the agenda, providing original information, and airing oppositional views on reported issues. From a public sphere perspective, it also examines the degree of diversity of users’ opinions within media outlets. The results suggest that whereas users challenge journalistic viewpoints to some extent, this type of audience participation is not likely to render audiences co-producers of news content in significant ways or offer opportunities for cross-cutting political exchanges.

Dinâmicas sociais no Facebook: Análise de comentários em conteúdos jornalísticos sobre a suposta tentativa de ataque terrorista à FCUL

“…A maior acessibilidade em se comentar nos espaços de participação acolhidos pelos média nos seus websites e em plataformas sociais, como o Facebook, desencadeou novas práticas culturais, inclusive para a cultura jornalística tradicional (Hermida et al, 2011) que, apesar de reconhecer a importância da interação dos públicos, considerava a participação como divergente das normas e valores jornalísticos (Domingo, 2008). Esta interação tem sido analisada em várias investigações com o intuito de aferir a qualidade em função dos valores da profissão (Milioni et al, 2012;Topinka, 2018;Wright et al, 2020).…”

“…Como o interesse dos utilizadores pelos tópicos cresce de forma constante até atingir um ponto de saturação, "os tópicos que atingiram um patamar na evolução do seu envolvimento logo após o seu surgimento inicial têm maior probabilidade de recolher reações negativas/controversas, enquanto os tópicos que são mais constantes no seu crescimento tendem a atrair interações positivas dos utilizadores" (Etta et al, 2023, p. 7).Constata-se que os participantes tendem a assumir a mesma posição em comentários. A maior parte não aborda os assuntos jornalísticos retratados e, portanto, não expõem novos pontos de vista ou informações complementares sobre os temas e utilizam práticas discursivas de incivilidade (Milioni et al, 2012). Alcançar a tão desejada cultura participativa começa agora a ser encarada como uma utopia democrática (Carpentier et al, 2013;Jenkins & Carpentier, 2013;Wright et al, 2020).…”

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“…This democratic utopia was first demonstrated with a deconstruction of the complexity of participatory and interactive processes in close relation to cultural and political dimensions (Boyd, 2014;Moon, 2018). In participatory media spaces, the acts of responding to the news cycle or that of participating in public space debates began to demonstrate a growth in violence headed by hate speech, often in the recoil of humour, against journalists, news sources, topics, minority groups, and others (Carlsson & Nilsson, 2016;Gardiner, 2018;Milioni et al, 2012;Nielsen, 2014;Reader, 2012;Simões, 2021;Topinka, 2018;Wright et al, 2020).…”

“…The act of commenting in comment boxes hosted by the media represents one of the main elements of online participatory culture (Milioni et al, 2012;Nielsen, 2014;Topinka, 2018;Wright et al, 2020). On the one hand, it is identified that participants tend to take the same position and most comments do not address journalistic issues (Milioni et al, 2012); on the other hand, journalists' engagement to provide a more detailed understanding of stories to their audiences through substantive comments, has decreased (Finley, 2015;Pritchard, 2016aPritchard, , 2016bWright et al, 2020).…”

“…An example of this is the incivility or the violence, according to the broad sense of the problem (Costa, 2021a(Costa, , 2021b(Costa, , 2021c. In this context, hate speech has emerged as one of the most expressive forms of digital violence today (Marwick & Miller, 2014), being the participatory spaces hosted by the media preferential places for the practice of individual and collective hostile conducts (Carlsson & Nilsson, 2016;Gardiner, 2018;Milioni, Vadratsikas & Papa, 2012;Nielsen, 2014;Reader, 2012;Simões, 2021;Topinka, 2018;Wright, Jackson & Graham, 2020).…”