![Sample our Communication Studies journals, sign in here to start your access, 2013 & 2014 volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5927/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Information-Science2.jpg"})
Abstract
Successful online publishers like BuzzFeed and the Huffington Post have mastered the art of making news go viral. In order for this to happen, it needs to be shared by a large number of online media users. Understanding what makes a piece of content worth sharing with others then becomes a key element in understanding current news flows. User-oriented studies about what incites people to share news are limited. Content characteristics, personal dispositions towards news and new media, and self-presentation have proved to be relevant indicators, but people might differ considerably in the way they share news. We hypothesize that different “sharing profiles” are discernible amongst online news users, based on their motivations to share, but also considering internet skills and news-sharing behaviour. In order to identify these profiles, we draw on a survey amongst Dutch-speaking Belgian online media users (N = 1237). The results illustrate how motivations to share are important predictors of online sharing activity; especially staying socially connected with others. Yet, self-confidence in internet skills was found to be a second, important predictor for online sharing behaviour. Drawing on these insights, we discuss whether viral news forms a threat or an opportunity to news reporting.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The research was supported by iMinds, a funding body of the Flemish Government, through the ICON granted project PROVIDENCE (Predicting Online VIrality anD EntertainmeNt ContEnt). The project’s aim is to optimize online news publication strategies by investigating and proactively making use of virality factors of news on social media platforms. The research consortium comprises of Newsmonkey, VRT, iMinds-SMIT-VUB, Massive Media and IBCN-UGent. IMinds-SMIT and VRT O&I carried out the presented research. The data were collected through the VRT Proeftuin, VRT’s living lab environment.