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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 1 Rethinking User - Generated Content Conceptualization and Application of the Concept of Media-Stimulated Interpersonal Communication Presentation at the COST Action Conference, Ljubljana February 5-7, 2014
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Rethinking User-Generated Content. Conceptualization and Application of the Concept of Media-Stimulated Interpersonal Communication

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Marc Ziegele

Presentation at the COST Action Conference "The Future of Audience Research" in Ljubljana, February 5-7, 2014
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Page 1: Rethinking User-Generated Content. Conceptualization and Application of the Concept of Media-Stimulated Interpersonal Communication

February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 1

Rethinking User-Generated ContentConceptualization and Application of the Concept of Media-Stimulated

Interpersonal Communication

Presentation at the COST Action Conference, Ljubljana

February 5-7, 2014

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 2

1 | Introduction: People talk about the news offline…

Interpersonal conversations about mass-media content are a permanent part of peoples’ everyday social interactions (McQuail, 2008; Katz, 1964)

» 85% of the participants of a quantitative survey had talked about mass-media content in the week before the interview (Gehrau & Goertz, 2010)

» In a participatory observation, 75% of the conversations analyzed referred to mass-media content (Kepplinger & Martin, 1986)

Many of these conversations refer to topical public issues in the news media

Conversations about mass-media content

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 3

1 | Introduction: People talk about the news offline…

News diffusion research: Consequences of mass-media exposure

Agenda setting: Intervening variable

Deliberation research: Process of collective decision making

Uses & Gratifications: Motivation to consume mass-media content

Cultural studies: Interactive negotiation or appropriation

Different theoretical approaches to such conversations

e.g., Sommer, 2010

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 4

1 | … and online

Sources: Dnevnik.si; Twitter.com; reddit.com; Manca Kosir

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 5

1 | … and online

SNS: Facebook

» One third of German SNS users discusses content from newspapers at least once a month (Busemann 2013)

» Facebook‘s „talking about this“

Microblogging: Twitter

» A considerable amount of tweets refers to news articles (Maireder, 2011; Kwak et al., 2010; Java et

al., 2007)

Social News Aggregators: Digg

» Between one third and half of the postings analyzed refer to content from news websites (Rölver, 2008; Thelwall, 2008; Pohorecki, 2012)

News site Subscribers „Talking about this“ Interaction rate

Spiegel Online 549.137 57.440 10.5%

Bild 1.296.388 204.804 15.8%

Tagesschau 219.625 17.509 7.9%

People talk about the news online

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 6

2 | The concept of media-stimulated interpersonal communication

Offline: „interpersonal communication about topics in the news“, „political conversation“, „conversations about the news“ (e.g., Lazarsfeld et al., 1965; de Boer & Velthuijsen; Kim et al., 1999)

Online: „user-generated content“, „participatory journalism“, „audience interactivity“ (Ruiz

et al., 2011; Singer et al., 2011; Yoo, 2011)

Shared social practice behind the different spheres: Talking about content from the news or mass-media, respectively

Media-Stimulated Interpersonal Communication (MSIC)

„media-stimulated“: Any type of mass-media content can serve as the inspiration and the primary subject of the communication

“interpersonal”: Emphasizes their social and potentially interactive character

Any communication can be conceptualized as MSIC as long as it was initiated by a particular mass-media stimulus and as long as this mass-media stimulus can be identified in the ongoing conversation or discussion

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Public Online MSIC

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 8

2 | The concept of media-stimulated interpersonal communication

Institutionalized platform pages

Frag

men

ted

pu

blic

sp

her

es

Inte

grat

ed p

ub

lic s

ph

eres

Uncontrolled secondary diffusion

Part

ially

inte

grat

ed p

ub

lic s

ph

eres

Mass-media content on news websites

Co

ntr

olle

d

seco

nd

ary

dis

trib

uti

on

Forums and chats

Social news aggregators

Institutionalized Personal Publishing

Personal Publishing

SNS

Blogs MicrobloggingSNS Video platforms

Integrated services

Immediate discussion

Classification of Public Online MSIC: Different Spheres

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 9

2 | The concept of media-stimulated interpersonal communication

Classification of Public Online MSIC: Different Topics and Functions

Pri

mar

y fu

nct

ion

of

MSI

C:

Dis

cuss

ion

Pri

mar

y fu

nct

ion

of

MSI

C:

Dif

fusi

on

Focus: Topics of public interest

User comments on

news websites

Blogs

Micro-blogging

Focus: Topics of personal interest

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February 4, 2014 | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz | Marc Ziegele & Oliver Quiring | 10

3 | User Comments as public MSIC

Popularity: User comments as the most popular category of public MSIC (Singer et al.,

2011; Weber, 2013)

Change: By commenting on news items, users have obtained a more visible role in the “interpretation stage” of the journalistic news production (Domingo, 2008; Reich,

2011; Thurman, 2008)

Effects: User comments can influence how a large proportion of a news website’s audience uses mass-media content, for example with regards to individual opinion formation (Anderson et al., 2013; Lee & Jang, 2010; Walther et al. , 2010)

Participation: Opinion expression and interactivity in user comments could contribute to shaping a democratically valuable discourse on topics of public interest (Boczkowski & Mitchelstein, 2012; Freelon, 2010; Ruiz et al., 2010)

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3 | User Comments as public MSIC

… they are visibly media-stimulated

… their publication criteria are inclusive

… they do not meet journalistic standards

… they are interactive

Reich, 2011; Ruiz et al., 2011; Singer, 2009; Ziegele & Quiring, 2013

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4 | Comparing User Comments and offline MSIC

What are the similarities and differences between traditional conversations about the news and online comments?

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4 | Comparing User Comments and offline MSIC

Different kinds of communication have already compared with regards to their processes, audiences, and structures

» Mass communication and interpersonal communication (e.g., Chaffee & Mutz, 1988;

Reardon & Rogers, 1988)

» Different manifestations of online communication (e.g., Walther, 1996; Neuberger,

2009)

The following analysis is based on an extensive literature review. For illustration purposes, citations from a qualitative study with 25 users who comment on the news are used.

Consider that such classifications can only consider “regular cases”

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4 | Comparing User Comments and offline MSIC

Processes Offline MSIC User comments

Communication stageBefore, during, and after media

consumptionAfter media consumption

Publicity Private Integrated

Deliberateness Rather low Rather low

Persistence Low High

Asynchronity Low Rather high

Realized interactivity Rather high Low to average

When I discuss the news offline, I can reach five or ten people, maybe. But online, I’m

addressing a far bigger audience (…). (m, 24, reg.)

Many participants just want to deliver their opinion but they just do not want to get into

serious discussions. (m, 47, reg.)

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4 | Comparing User Comments and offline MSIC

Audiences Offline MSIC User comments

Addressees Attendees Journalists, other users, “the

public”

Anonymity Low Moderate

Kind of interpersonal

community

Communities of common

bonds

Communities of common

interests

Audience diversity Rather homogenous Rather heterogeneous

How often do you ask your unfamiliar neighbor if he wants to discuss a political

topic? Rarely! Instead, this happens on the internet, thanks to anonymity (m, 22, reg.)

Online, I am confronted with opinions that I am not familiar with. And that’s different

when I discuss with my friends because we already know the positions and arguments

of each other (m, 26, occ.)

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4 | Comparing User Comments and offline MSIC

Functions Offline MSIC User comments

Cognitive-based

• Bridging mass-media events with personal experiences

• Knowledge-building/-testing

• Bridging mass-media events with personal experiences

• Knowledge-building/-testing

• Public articulation, critic and control

Affective-based• Emotional and playful

appropriation of media content

• Emotional and playfulappropriation of media content

• Catharsis

Social- and identity-based

• Collectivization of the group

• Search for reciprocalaffirmation

• Focus on informational exchange

• Search for disagreement

One third of the participants really elaborates on the topic, another third can join the

conversation more or less successfully, and the last third tries to disturb the discussion. (m,

47, reg.)

Most importantly, I feel better after I commented because then I have “vomited”

my opinion. (m, 25, occ.)

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5 | Summary and Discussion

“News audiences have transformed but the people remain the same.”

The processes and audiences of user comments have approached the characteristics of mass communication. But the content of the communication and specific functions resemble traditional conversations about the news.

Considering research about ‚traditional‘ MSIC in online research thus provides a better understanding of why people engage with news items online.

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Thank you for your interest!

Marc Ziegele

Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz

Department of Communication

[email protected]

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References (I)

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Boczkowski, P. J., & Mitchelstein, E. (2012). How Users Take Advantage of Different Forms of Interactivity on Online News Sites: Clicking, E-

Mailing, and Commenting. Human Communication Research, 38, 1–22.

Boer, C. de, & Velthuijsen, A. S. (2001). Participation in conversations about the news. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 13(2), 140–158.

Busemann, K., Fisch, M., & Frees, B. (2012). Dabei sein ist alles - zur Nutzung privater Communitys. Media Perspektiven, (5), 258.

Chaffee, S. H., & Mutz, D. C. (1988). Comparing mediated and interpersonal communication data. In R. P. Hawkins, Wiemann J. M., & Pingree S.

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