The Seeds of Audience Fragmentation: Specialization in the Use of Online News Sites

TLDR

Internet use is believed to fragment audiences, yet quantitative evidence for this claim has been limited. The study investigates how online news outlets specialize in attracting particular audiences. Analysis of a nationally representative panel shows that online news sites have distinct demographic profiles and topic preferences, confirming outlet specialization.

Abstract

Contemporary normative concerns that the Internet might fragment national audiences and polities are based on suggestions that the medium is particularly conducive to specialized use. However, relatively little quantitative research has explicitly examined this contention. This study evaluates outlet specialization within the context of online news reading. Analyses of news viewing by a nationally representative panel of Internet users reveal that the user demographic profiles of news sites are individually distinct. More important, the topics that readers view vary by the sites they access. In sum, the provision of news over the Internet exhibits ample signs of outlet specialization.