Viorela Dan, Hans-Bernd Brosius

The Onset of Habituation Effects

Introduction

The onset of habituation effects. Examines TV news attention during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, revealing an initial surge in information-seeking followed by habituation effects. Supports agenda-setting theory.

Abstract

While extraordinary events like pandemics may prompt an increase in information-seeking behaviour, such trends are unlikely to be sustainable. Over time, issue fatigue/overdose is expected to set in. This study employed generalised additive mixed models (GAMMs) to determine whether attention to TV news corresponded with real-world developments. We sought to predict news use in Germany during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic based on disease occurrence next to two well-established predictors of news use (total TV use and day of the week). The association of key events with news use was also assessed. Initially, news use increased with disease occurrence. However, as the pandemic progressed, the linkage between the two variables weakened considerably, suggesting the onset of a habituation effect. Some support emerged for the idea that key events increased news use. Overall, our results are more in line with the explanation provided by agenda-setting theory and various information-seeking models than with the notion of coping through information avoidance. Thus, how the pandemic progresses appears to be a good predictor of news use at the aggregate level, although its predictive power decreases over time.

Review

This study offers a timely and methodologically sound investigation into the dynamics of information-seeking behavior during an extraordinary event, specifically focusing on TV news consumption during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Employing generalised additive mixed models (GAMMs), the authors effectively demonstrate an initial surge in news engagement corresponding with disease occurrence, which subsequently weakens considerably over time. This key finding, posited as the onset of a habituation effect or "issue fatigue," provides compelling empirical support for established agenda-setting theory and various information-seeking models, critically differentiating these from explanations centered on information avoidance. The approach successfully links aggregate news use to real-world developments, providing valuable insights into public attention spans during prolonged crises. While the abstract highlights a significant and well-supported finding, it also prompts questions regarding the study's scope and potential nuances. The exclusive focus on "TV news" as a measure of attention, while valid for its context, might limit the generalizability of findings in an increasingly multi-platform news environment; future research could expand to digital news sources for a more comprehensive picture. Furthermore, the abstract mentions "some support" for key events increasing news use, but a clearer elaboration on the nature and magnitude of these events' impact would strengthen this particular assertion. Considering that the study operates at an "aggregate level," the abstract could implicitly benefit from acknowledging potential variations in habituation effects across different demographic groups or those with varying pre-existing media consumption habits, even if these are beyond the immediate scope of this specific analysis. The identification of a demonstrable habituation effect, where the predictive power of disease occurrence on news use diminishes, holds significant implications for public health communication, media studies, and crisis management. It underscores the inherent challenge in sustaining public attention and engagement during prolonged crises and suggests the necessity for adaptive communication strategies. Future investigations could fruitfully explore the underlying psychological or social mechanisms driving this habituation, or differentiate between active habituation and a passive shift in information sources. Further research could also analyze whether different types of news content (e.g., health advisories vs. human interest stories) exhibit distinct habituation patterns. Overall, this study makes a robust contribution to understanding the temporal dynamics of collective information consumption during periods of heightened uncertainty, offering a strong foundation for more nuanced communication strategies moving forward.

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