Analysis: Reuters Digital News Report finds those with stronger political ideologies on the left or right are more likely to be more active in online news spaces
The idea of audience engagement and participation in the news was once romanticised as a key democratic dimension of the internet and technological advancements. Such engagement would allow dialogue and exchanges of views between members of the public, and with journalists.
But the reality has not always been quite so enriching. Many have found that online spaces lack nuance and rationality, leading to uncivilised interactions. For journalists, there are additional challenges with targeted abuse and hostility. But feeling the potential wrath of angry social media backlash may also be off-putting for even "ordinary" news consumers and audiences.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, Dr Dawn Wheatley from DCU and journalist Aoife Barry on online hostility towards women in the media
The 2023 Digital News Report again asks about participation in the news and what forms are most popular. Commenting on a news story on a news website is done by just 7% of people, but 25% will actually read those kinds of comments. This is just one example which captures a common pattern indicative of a vocal minority putting their opinions and interpretations of events out there. Meanwhile, many will remain silent onlookers, curious about what criticisms or praise about a story or journalist might be pointed out.
This question about participation was asked in the first Irish Digital News Report in 2015, when the figure for posting comments on news websites was 10%, so there has only been a slight decline. Yet in those intervening years, many of the "conversations" have moved on to social media platforms, often because news websites now limit comments to registered users, or have closed comments sections altogether because of legal risks or the inability to effectively moderate the content. In early 2023 US publisher Gannett, which has around 200 local titles, disabled comments for most of its outlets, saying it was "not willing to risk discussions veering off track or people being verbally attacked", but instead encouraged users to be active on social media.
In this year's survey, when asked if they would comment on a news story on a social network (rather than a news website) during a typical week, the average across all demographics was 11%. Notably, it increases to 16% of men aged 25-34, while it is just 8% of women in that same age category. When asked about sharing a news story on social media, 14% of both men and women reported doing that, with the 25-34 year olds again the most likely; it increased to 17% in that age cohort, compared with 12% of the over 55s.
Commenting on a news story on a news website is done by just 7% of people, but 25% will actually read those kinds of comments
Interestingly, though, we can see further divergence when it comes to political affiliation: 13% of those who described themselves as being ideologically in the centre (including centre-right or centre-left) said they would share a story on social media during a typical week, but it increased to 19% of those who are "fairly or very left wing" and 20% of those who are "fairly or very right wing".
These stronger left/right ideologies comprised a quarter of survey respondents so, although a minority, the nature of social media interactions means they can find an amplified voice and platform. This was especially important when coupled with the fact that those with more centrist views are more likely to stay quiet.
Across almost all categories of participation, a similar pattern was evident, where those respondents with stronger political ideologies on the left/right were more likely to be more active in online news spaces: just 9% of centrist respondents said they would 'like’ or ‘favourite’ a news story, compared with 17% of those on the right. Elsewhere, 12% of centrist respondents said they would talk online with friends and colleagues about a news story, compared with 23% of those on the left.
Despite the accessibility of diverse viewpoints in online spaces, it is clear audiences feel more confident discussing politics offline
Meanwhile, in almost all categories, we see men are more likely to be engaging and participating in some form, indicative of their overall higher interest in the news. However, there are three categories in which women are higher, including "talking face to face to friends/colleagues" where 40% of women do that, compared with 35% of men.
This offline discursive dimension is crucial and worth considering in the context of political discussions in particular, as the survey also explores. Despite the accessibility of diverse viewpoints present in online spaces, it is clear that audiences feel more confident discussing politics offline: 30% of Irish respondents said they did not discuss politics online, but that dropped to 17% offline. People also felt the need to be less cautious offline, perhaps indicative of their observations around the hostile reaction which can permeate online.
Offline spaces and dialogue remain hugely important for those who might not appear to be visibly participating online. For example, 34% of women said they did not discuss politics online, and that increased to 52% among women aged 65+. However, this does not mean that this cohort do not engage in "real" life: among the women aged over 65, the? 52% who did not discuss politics online fell dramatically to 24% when asked about offline conversations, indicating how more news-related discourse happens offline.
Everyone with a stake in public engagement of current affairs – including journalists, politicians and political campaigners – should remember who is present and vocal in these digital spaces and who takes part in, or avoids, online debates about news events. Plenty of people are watching and interested, but they may not want to risk the backlash – or they simply might not want to waste their energy getting involved in highly partisan or ideologically spats.
This article was originally published in the Reuters Digital News Report Ireland 2023
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
