News from Reliable Outlets Shared More on Social Media

Articles put out by renowned sources such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post see the most shares on social media, according to a new study by UCLA and HP.

On sites like Twitter and Facebook, people are more likely to share a New York Times story over one produced by, say, a supermarket tabloid, writes NewsCred Blog.

“The research team predicted that the news category, article source, perceived objectivity, and mention of notable celebrities, brands, or institutions would contribute to the success of an article to some degree,” NewsCred reported. “What they did not predict was that the original publisher of the article was the fundamental factor in predicting the spread of content online.”

Other factors that led to users sharing an article included what category it fell into, how objective people believe it is, and the “mention of notable celebrities, brands, or institutions.”

NewsCred writes that the reason people share more news from reliable sources is that they want to be perceived the same way to followers and friends. This is not a new trend. In 1966, according to Ignite Social Media, a study revealed that the reason 24 percent of people share marketing information is to “gain attention” and “have inside information.” In addition, 20 percent do it for “message involvement,” which means sharing humor or information.

“Most everyone likes to be an expert in some area, and like it when their friends look up to them for it,” writes Ignite Social Media.

Newspapers may be losing money, but at least they aren’t lacking when it comes to influence. It’s one thing that may never be replaced.

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