Internet Users’ Reasons and Motives for Online News Commenting

Abstract

This article examines users’ situational reasons and potential motives for leaving a comment on an online news item. In a 3-phase analysis, users’ background factors, such as gender and political standings, were considered. The analysis indicates that there are preferred reasons for commenting. These are connected to 6 identified motives (e.g., societal discussion). Furthermore, 7 related user types were determined and examined. Overall, users and their reasons and motives for commenting vary, and background factors, especially activity and political standings, might explain the differences.