Clickbait on Google Discover: A comparative analysis with digital newspaper front pages within the framework of gatekeeping and agenda setting
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3145/infonomy.25.025Keywords:
Google Discover, Algorithmic curation, Clickbait, Soft news, Hard news, Gatekeeping, Agenda setting, Digital platforms, News visibility, Digital journalismAbstract
While digital front pages reflect deliberate editorial decisions, platforms like Google Discover reshape news visibility through algorithmic systems that prioritize attention over journalistic relevance. This study examines variations in the presence of clickbait headlines and the proportion of soft news on Google Discover compared to the mobile front pages of El Español and La Vanguardia, the two most-read digital news outlets in Spain according to GfK DAM (January 2025). Based on a content analysis of 300 headlines collected in June 2025, the results reveal a significantly higher incidence of clickbait in Discover (44%) and Discover Snoop (51%) compared to just 2% on editorial front pages. Similarly, soft news appears in 58% of headlines on Discover Snoop, 38% on Discover, and only 2% on the front pages. These findings highlight an algorithmic curation logic driven by user interaction and engagement time, in contrast with editorial hierarchies based on informational value. The study contributes to current debates on news quality, editorial disintermediation, and the role of algorithms as new gatekeepers in the digital media ecosystem.References
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