This document discusses mediating online news commenting to promote social inclusion. It references a definition of digital inclusion as effective and sustainable engagement with information technologies that allows full participation in society. The document poses questions about what type of access people have to commenting, where interaction occurs, the scale and scope of participation across sites, who is commenting, and the gender breakdown of top commenters on different types of news sites. It examines issues of social inclusion, political participation, media diversity, cultural citizenship, and media economics in online news commenting.

1. Mediating the Conversation
fiona.martin@sydney.edu.au
@media_republik
Getting my two cents worth in:
access, interaction, participation
and social inclusion
in online news
commenting

2. “digital inclusion is an individual’s
effective and sustainable engagement
with Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT) in ways that allow
full participation in society in terms of
economic, social, cultural, civic and
personal well-being.”
Helsper, EC discussion paper,
2014

4. • Social inclusion
• Political participation
• Media diversity
• Cultural citizenship
• Media economics

5. What type of access?
5 55%
32.5%
12.5%
SOCIAL MEDIA IN HOUSE
COMMENTS
PAYWALL

6. Where is the interaction?

7. Participation: scale and scope across
lower engagement sites
Where is the interaction?

8. Who’s commenting?
Commenting distribution: top 100 commenters

9. Gendered user names: top 100 commenters
metros & internationals

10. Gendered user names: top 100 commenters
public service broadcasters

11. Gendered user names: top 100 commenters
local services