Constructing the perfect post: The effects of incivility and news selection on online engagement

Abstract

<p>This study investigates the relationship between incivility and news values in Facebook posts and online engagement. The study combines secondary data from Facebook API with a content analysis of 408 posts from partisan Facebook pages to test whether incivility and news values affect online engagement. Using a negative binomial model, the results show that the use of incivility strongly increases engagement from Facebook users in the sample. Results also show that traditional news values are not significant predictors of online engagement on partisan Facebook pages, suggesting that online partisan media do not follow the same model used by traditional media for content publishing. Implications for political communication scholars and practitioners are discussed in the context of increased political polarization and reliance on social media as an information source for the American public.</p>