Does negative news travel fast? Exploring the effect of news sentiment on interactive spiral

Abstract

The interactive essence of Web2.0 impacts news industry: users are extensively engaged in content creation and value contribution, yet a growing concern is that users’ interaction may amplify the negativity bias, resulting in a worrying media environment such that negative news drive out positive news. Focusing on interactive spiral of online news, this study examined the relationship between title sentiment and users’ different-stage reactions, including reading, commenting, like/dislike voting and forwarding. Against the traditional view that “negative news travels fast”, this study harvests opposite influence of title sentiment in different stages: although attracting users to read, title negativity decreased both the number of forwards and forwarding ratio.