The new sensationalism of «quick truths»: an analysis of newspa- per headlines on social networking sites

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA E RICERCA SOCIALE
Author/s Luca Serafini
Publishing Year 2022 Issue 2022/127 Language Italian
Pages 19 P. 119-137 File size 214 KB
DOI 10.3280/SR2022-127007
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This paper shows how some typical communication mechanisms on social networking sites have reconfigured the phenomenon of sensationalism in journal- istic information. Analyzing newspaper headlines on social platforms, it is clear that a «minimalist sensationalism» is emerging, which is connected to a specific articulation of the concept of post-truth, that of «quick truth». The strengths and weaknesses of this new sensationalism are then examined: sometimes, it facilitates users’ access to information of public interest. In other cases, however, the intrinsic limits of online communication and the digital public sphere (often artic- ulated based on homophilic networks) lead such imprecise truths to fuel misinfor- mation and deprive users of their reflective capacities.

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Luca Serafini, Il nuovo sensazionalismo delle «verità veloci»: un’analisi dei titoli dei giornali sui social network in "SOCIOLOGIA E RICERCA SOCIALE " 127/2022, pp 119-137, DOI: 10.3280/SR2022-127007