How Headline Strategies and News Sources Affect Number of User Clicks on WeChat

Bibliographic Data

ID12909455
AuthorsYuting Sun (0000-0001-6331-024X, Hohai University), Chaoyun Liang (0000-0001-6608-7717, National Taiwan University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume17
Issue8
Pages1696-1721
Publication date2021-12-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1751-2786 • E-ISSN: 1751-2794
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17512786.2021.2008807
OpenAlexW3215641365
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited65

This study used 2,623 WeChat article headlines on the Chengdu school food safety event and employed quantitative content analysis to explore the dynamic relationship of headline strategy (i.e., headline style and headline frame) and news source with user clicks at distinct phases of the issue–attention cycle. The results first revealed that various types of headline styles affect the number of user clicks based on the issue–attention phase, but no single type dominates public attention at any phase. Second, reader attention could be attracted using the information with the singleton detection mode. However, the feature search mode could filter official-oriented discourse. Third, the “treatment recommendation” headline frame, which clearly summarises the core of texts, generally lacked executability and had a poor effect on audience mobilisation. Fourth, readers depended on certain media channels under low-choice media environment, and information issued by administrative sources was not widely spread because of the limitation on their functions and specific targets. Finally, news from traditional mainstream media, online communities, and independent sources were more click-attractive news than the news from other sources, thus demonstrating a complementary relationship between official reports and social media discourses

Advertising · Affect (linguistics · Business · Filter (signal processing · Frame (networking · Headline · Internet privacy · Mainstream · News media · Political science · Social media · World Wide Web · Communication · Computer Science · Media Studies and Communication · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Media and Politics

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