Conceptualizing the Online Discussion Value: On the Causes, Conditions, and Consequences of Media-Stimulated Interpersonal Communication on Mass-Media Websites

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Oliver Quiring
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 236117787

So far, there is no theoretical model to explain and predict public online user discussions on mass-media websites. This form of communication, a part of online media-stimulated interpersonal communication, is in fact developing into a mass phenomenon, thus bearing both political and social (opinion leadership, online participation) as well as economic (inclusion of user-generated content) and journalistic (feedback for journalists) significance. The main aims of this project are to identify factors that stimulate and shape online user discussions as well as to determine the impact of these factors on user participation decisions and on the content of the discussions. The main theoretical premise is news value theory which is assumed not only to explain part of the journalistic selection and message production, but also the causes and content of user comments. It is assumed that news factors (event characteristics), and their representation in the news stimulate the need of internet users to comment on news items. In addition, the characteristics of published comments, called influence the further course of the discussion. Taken together, these factors, combined with the additional influences of specific online communication environments and particular aspects of the user motivation, constitute a model of the so-called discussion value of online news. This model will be developed theoretically and tested empirically.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants