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User behavior patterns when consuming and sharing information on social networks are analyzed, paying special attention to the effects of the type of presentation and the type of social network. As is common when analyzing activity on social networks, we used the experience sampling method, in which a group of volunteer participants are asked, at different times, a set of questions about their recent activity or experience. The sample consisted of 279 subjects. The results show that news requiring a greater effort is usually shared through closed networks, while in open networks there is a tendency to share more superficial information. No significant differences are found between the degree of reading of the news and the type of social network where it is shared. Moreover, the level of consumption does not influence the degree of reading of the shared material. The level of enjoyment of the news is found to influence its degree of reading. The differences between networks highlight that, on Facebook, the frequency of use influences the dynamics of consumption and sharing, with shared news being more emotional and useful. In contrast, in the case of Twitter, there is a greater preference for so-called soft information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of theories of news trustworthiness and selective exposure to media, this research analyzes whether the trust that consumers of digital news in Spain claim to profess towards a news brand is an explanatory factor that directly mediates their consumption of said brand. In addition, and based on a novel association in literature, this work studies whether the individual attributes of political leaning and degree of digital consumption are predictive variables that have a direct effect on the consumption of news brands. Also, it tests the mediation of trust in this process. This research applies the methodology of simple mediation analysis or analysis of direct or indirect effects to data from the online "Digital news report.es 2019" survey (N = 2005). The 15 news brands studied are TVE, Antena 3, La sexta, Telecinco, Cuatro, Cadena SER, COPE, El país, El mundo, ABC, La vanguardia, El periódico, 20 minutos, Eldiario.es, and El confidencial. As a main result, two models of selective consumption of news brands in Spain are identified: a first model that only considers the mediating effect of one or both attributes (type I), and a second that combines both direct and indirect effects (type II). This categorization highlights how users' political leaning moderates or enhances the consumption of some news brands by mediating trust. With the exception of COPE, users who are politically positioned to the right have less trust in brands, thereby moderating their consumption. On the other hand, users who are politically on the left are more loyal consumers of the media they trust most (Eldiario.es, La sexta, and Cadena SER). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 has resulted in a totally extraordinary and anomalous situation. This new coronavirus became a global phenomenon after the declaration of a pandemic state, which affects all fields: health, economic, social, scientific, environmental, etc. This health emergency affects many different levels and actors, including media and journalism. As far as news coverage is concerned, the front page of the press represents a relevant object of study from a journalistic, as well as sociological and historiographical, point of view. The front page plays an important temporary explanatory role, especially during an event as disruptive as the pandemic. It offers the possibility to take a "snapshot" of the coverage of an ongoing event. The aim of this research is to analyze the coverage of the new coronavirus and its evolution throughout the first quarter of 2020. To answer these questions, a thematic content analysis of 630 front pages of seven Spanish national generalist newspapers (El país, El mundo, ABC, La razón, La vanguardia, El periódico, and El correo) was carried out. The results indicated that information about the virus increased progressively as the epidemic approached the Spanish borders. The coverage in the Spanish newspapers was highly homogeneous, although some differences can be found, mainly due to editorial trends and regional or national perspectives. The pattern of the analyzed samples is characterized by the current diagnosis of the pandemic, highly focused on the definition of the problem and the proposal of health solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has confined millions of citizens in their homes. The situation of isolation has many consequences at multiple levels: social, psychological, economic, educational..., and also communicative. Based on a survey to 1,122 people during the most severe confinement phase, this article aims to analyze how information consumption has been modified during this period of time, and how citizens assess media coverage of Covid-19. The results show citizenship get more news and more frequently than before the health crisis. All in all, citizens maintain a critical attitude towards media coverage of the outbreak, which is, according to the results, conditioned by the media ideology, and reported in a sensationalist way, generating unnecessary social alarm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 is a phenomenon of enormous magnitude and relevance. Its impact has affected various social domains, including the media and journalism. Since the beginning of this health crisis, the news has become a valuable resource for citizens. Studying the dynamics of information consumption is highly relevant both for its ability to transform the media system and for its incidence in democracy. The objective of this research is to analyse the influence of the new coronavirus on news consumption, the credibility given by citizens to the media as well as their ability to detect fake news. To answer these questions, we have conducted an exploratory analysis based on the secondary data from the online surveys of the Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel in the United States, comparing data before and after the outbreak. The results confirm the impact of Covid-19 on the media system. The findings suggest the emergence of important developments such as the resurgence of the role of legacy media, especially television, and the fact that citizens who usually remain far from the information have reconnected with the news. Therefore, the existing inequalities regarding news consumption among citizens have been reduced, in part. This generates potential benefits for democracy in terms of equality and accessibility concerning public affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of news has become a social experience. In this scenario, we set out to answer the following question: What are Spanish journalists talking about on Twitter? This work studies what type of content they emit on Twitter to establish if the link between these professionals and the mass media or with the cybermedia influences the thematic orientation of their tweet. The study has worked with three samples (a sample of covers of five newspapers of reference of Spain, a sample of ten accounts of Twitter corresponding to journalists from mass communication media and a sample of ten accounts of cyberjournalists). The two-year research has analyzed 3.500 tweets based on a classification system of registration units made up of 35 thematic categories. The study concludes, among other aspects, that politics (national and international) is the great theme of Twitter along with a growing concern for jihadist terrorism and issues of the Ibero- American context over Europe. The work also warns of the existence of thematic gaps in certain areas (such as society, culture, art or science). In addition, an increasing tendency of the use of the platform for the purpose of self-promotion by journalists is detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PlayGround is a digital medium aimed at the millennial audience which uses a format adapted to internet news consumption habits. In the last few years it has built a characteristic rhetoric using the native video format for Facebook, resulting in more than 13 million followers on social media and 600 million views a month. Following an analysis of the features of the format and how it has evolved, while also considering the audience's consumption habits, our data reveals that the media are highly dependent on the channel in which their content is broadcast. The discussion considers how the format should evolve bearing in mind the constantly changing interests and requirements of social networks as they search to monetize their audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a qualitative research study based on 12 focus groups with a total of 106 people about the role of social networks in the consumption of current information are presented. We inquired about the motivation of citizens to interact with the news on social networks, and if they consider them appropriate spaces for public debate. Some findings of this study suggest that social networks are seen as an adequate space to share news and information on matters of public interest; to extend the agenda of topics that focus on the interests of users by allowing them access to topics often silenced in their usual media; and finally, social networks are viewed as more suitable for opinions, rather than public debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]