Understanding news-related user comments and their effects: a systematic review

There has been growing interest in research on news-related user comments. Here we conduct the first systematic review of this literature—quantitatively and qualitatively (248 studies)—that covers the entire communication process (content analyses, surveys, experiments). Results indicate a focus on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFrontiers in communication Vol. 9
Main Authors Kubin, Emily, Merz, Pascal, Wahba, Mariam, Davis, Cate, Gray, Kurt, von Sikorski, Christian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Frontiers Media S.A 23.07.2024
Subjects
content analysis
digital news
media effects
uncivil user comments
user comments
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ISSN2297-900X
2297-900X
DOI10.3389/fcomm.2024.1447457

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Summary:There has been growing interest in research on news-related user comments. Here we conduct the first systematic review of this literature—quantitatively and qualitatively (248 studies)—that covers the entire communication process (content analyses, surveys, experiments). Results indicate a focus on online news articles ( vs videos) and little consideration for major social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok). Research often assesses incivility in comments but offers conflicting conclusions on the actual level of incivility in comment threads—and seldom considers how to effectively combat any incivility. We propose four priorities for future work: more comparative and longitudinal approaches; exploring social media and video content; examining platform design, content moderation and artificial intelligence; and implementing measures to reduce incivility and protect the integrity of journalism.
ISSN:2297-900X
2297-900X
DOI:10.3389/fcomm.2024.1447457