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News Sharing in Social Media: A Review of Current Research on News Sharing Users, Content, and Networks

DOI:10.1177/2056305115610141
Authors:
Anna Sophie Kümpel at Technische Universität Dresden
Anna Sophie Kümpel
Veronika Karnowski at Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
Veronika Karnowski
Till Keyling
Till Keyling
Till Keyling
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This article provides a review of scientific, peer-reviewed articles that examine the relationship between news sharing and social media in the period from 2004 to 2014. A total of 461 articles were obtained following a literature search in two databases (Communication & Mass Media Complete [CMMC] and ACM), out of which 109 were deemed relevant based on the study’s inclusion criteria. In order to identify general tendencies and to uncover nuanced findings, news sharing research was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Three central areas of research—news sharing users, content, and networks—were identified and systematically reviewed. In the central concluding section, the results of the review are used to provide a critical diagnosis of current research and suggestions on how to move forward in news sharing research.
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