Characteristics of the interaction between the users of the Spanish digital media in the coverage of the trial of Francisco Camps

Abstract

In the present study we analyze the characteristics of the interaction between users who write comments in the news published in Elpaís.com and Elmundo.es about the trial of the former president of the Comunidad Valenciana Francisco Camps. The aim of the paper is to analyze the characteristics of the interaction between users and establish the differences according to the level of participation in the forum. The research is based on a quantitative methodology, which incorporates the content analysis of the comments. The results of the study show that there is a moderate level of interaction between the participants of this platform, with a majority of comments published anonymously, unidirectional and massive. On the other hand, the users that interact with another users are characterized by a greater fidelity to the digital medium where they publish the comments and their participation seems to be motivated by the need to create an online reputation.