The Hyperlink as Organizing Principle

Halavais, Alexander

doi:10.2307/j.ctv65sxn0.6

Cited by 19 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, the pursuit of attention is not limited to those with purely commercial or political motives. The authors of “consumer‐generated” media often seek fame and fortune that must, in the first instance, be achieved by attracting a measure of attention (e.g., Benkler, 2006; Halavais, 2008; Hargittai, 2008a; Webster, 2008a).…”

Section: Public Attention In a Digital Media Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is why some media providers work so hard to manipulate measures. In fact, ''optimizing'' search engine results is a thriving cottage industry and defeating schemers is an on going chore for measure makers (e.g., Halavais, 2008;Resnick & Sami, 2007). But even without these aberrations, reporting popularity often begets popularity.…”

Section: The Wisdom Of Privileging Popularitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Duality of Media: A Structurational Theory of Public Attention

Webster

2011

Communication Theory

142

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Digital media offer countless options that compete for a limited supply of public attention. The patterns of use that emerge in this environment have important social implications, yet the factors that shape attendance are not well integrated into a single theoretical model. This article posits such a theory using Giddens's notion of structuration as an overarching framework. It identifies public measures that distill and report user information as a pivotal mechanism that coordinates and directs the behaviors of both media providers and media users, thus promoting the duality of media. The theory is then used to understand evolving patterns of public attention in the digital media environment.Digital technologies offer a seemingly endless supply of media that compete for public attention. Commentators have variously celebrated or decried this new world of media, though all seem to recognize that patterns of use will be central to understanding the media's social impact. This article argues that public attention is the result of a structurational process in which institutions and users mutually construct the media environment. Central to this process are two types of public measures. The first, market information regimes, provide media institutions with the data they need to monitor and respond to the marketplace. The second, user information regimes, are new measures that offer consumers tools to navigate the digital environment. All such regimes are socially constructed and potentially biased. Increasingly, though, they determine how things come to public attention.To explore the forces that shape public attention, this article proceeds in four sections. First, it defines public attention and makes a case that it is an important, but underdeveloped, concept in media studies. Second, it outlines a theory of public attention that is derived from Giddens's (1984) work on the duality of structure and the literature on media industries and audience behavior. Third, it demonstrates the ways in which public measures affect the duality of media systems. Finally, it considers how structurational processes shape three socially consequential patterns of

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Section: Public Attention In a Digital Media Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Wisdom Of Privileging Popularitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Duality of Media: A Structurational Theory of Public Attention

Webster

2011

Communication Theory

142

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“…In the case of online news, sources feed content into the network, rather than simply form hyperlinks. This is an important departure; although in certain cases hyperlinks can represent the sharing of information, they are often indiscriminate linkages between Web sites and require minimal investment to create (Halavais, 2008). The movement to sharing of content, however, represents a conscious intention to connect two Web sites, and a clear exchange of information between two Web sites; this is, therefore, a stronger measure of relationships between Web sites.…”

Section: Towards a New Model Of Online Information Flowmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Flow of Digital News in a Network of Sources, Authorities, and Hubs

Weber

Monge

2011

Journal of Communication

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This article presents an analysis of the flow of information in a network of online news sites. Social network theory and research on hyperlinked networks of Web pages are used to develop a model of information flow among Web sites. Kleinberg's authority-hub model is extended by introducing sources of information in the network. Significant support was found for a Source-Authority-Hub model, which shows the source, directionality, routing, and destination of news information flow through a network of authorities and hubs. This model demonstrates the ability of key Web sites to control the flow of news and information. Applications of the model to over-time data have the potential to predict future changes in the online news industry.

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“…As Halavais (2008) notes, while the hyperlink may have been seen primarily as a citation device, it now serves navigational, organizational, and social roles. With hyperlinks becoming ubiquitous, identifying different link types and selecting those that are relevant to the project at hand is a crucial stage of research in this field.…”

Section: Types Of Hyperlinkmentioning

confidence: 98%

Challenges of Tracking Topical Discussion Networks Online

Highfield

Kirchhoff²,

Nicolaï³

2010

Social Science Computer Review

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Attempts to map online networks, representing relationships between people and sites, have covered sites including Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. However, the predominant approach of static network visualization, treating months of data as a single case rather than depicting changes over time or between topics, remains a flawed process. As different events and themes provoke varying interactions and conversations, it is proposed that case-by-case analysis would aid studies of online social networks by further examining the dynamics of links and information flows. This study uses hyperlink analysis of a population of French political blogs to compare connections between sites from January to August 2009. Themes discussed in this period were identified for subsequent analysis of topic-oriented networks. By comparing static blogrolls with topical citations within posts, this research addresses challenges and methods in mapping online networks, providing new information on temporal aspects of linking behaviors and information flows within these systems.

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The Hyperlink as Organizing Principle

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

The Duality of Media: A Structurational Theory of Public Attention

The Duality of Media: A Structurational Theory of Public Attention

The Flow of Digital News in a Network of Sources, Authorities, and Hubs

Challenges of Tracking Topical Discussion Networks Online

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