Marianne Borchgrevink-Brækhus
PhD Candidate
University of Bergen
Marianne Borchgrevink-Brækhus is a PhD candidate in WP1 Understanding Media Experiences at MediaFutures. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Bergen in Media Studies and is a member of Bergen MediaUse Research Group. Borchgrevink-Brækhus has a background as a journalist in Bergens Tidende/E24 and Sysla. She has also worked as a research assistant and researcher at the University of Bergen where she received funding for a RAM project focusing on the use of algorithms in Norwegian online newspapers. She is interested in everyday news use and the intersection between media experiences, journalism and the impact of datafication in the media industry.
2023
Borchgrevink-Brækhus, Marianne; Moe, Hallvard
The Burden of Subscribing: How Young People Experience Digital News Subscriptions Journal Article
In: Journalism Studies , 2023.
@article{Borchgrevink-Brækhus2023,
title = {The Burden of Subscribing: How Young People Experience Digital News Subscriptions},
author = {Marianne Borchgrevink-Brækhus and Hallvard Moe },
url = {https://mediafutures.no/the-burden-of-subscribing-how-young-people-experience-digital-news-subscriptions/},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-04-17},
urldate = {2023-04-17},
journal = {Journalism Studies },
abstract = {This paper analyzes how young non-paying news users experience digital news subscriptions in Norway. As news organizations face
declining advertising revenues, digital subscriptions are considered the sustainable financial strategy of the future, with young people a particularly challenging group to convert. We analyze the experiences of young adults who do not pay for news and identify three key dimensions to why they do not subscribe:
lack of exclusivity, subscriptions as too time-consuming, and unattractive payment models. We also detail how the informants maneuver around paywalls, and we highlight “multiperspectivism” as an overarching concern guiding the informants’ preferences. Empirically, the paper furthers our understanding of
the challenges facing business models for journalism, especially problems with long-term, provider-specific subscriptions. Methodologically, we demonstrate how a combination of recurring interviews and a media diary matching a subscription test period yields a deeper analysis of motivations for, and
experiences with, news use. Theoretically, the paper shows how approaching news through users’ experiences can provide insights not just into what users appreciate from news but also into where they consider there is a lack of value.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This paper analyzes how young non-paying news users experience digital news subscriptions in Norway. As news organizations face
declining advertising revenues, digital subscriptions are considered the sustainable financial strategy of the future, with young people a particularly challenging group to convert. We analyze the experiences of young adults who do not pay for news and identify three key dimensions to why they do not subscribe:
lack of exclusivity, subscriptions as too time-consuming, and unattractive payment models. We also detail how the informants maneuver around paywalls, and we highlight “multiperspectivism” as an overarching concern guiding the informants’ preferences. Empirically, the paper furthers our understanding of
the challenges facing business models for journalism, especially problems with long-term, provider-specific subscriptions. Methodologically, we demonstrate how a combination of recurring interviews and a media diary matching a subscription test period yields a deeper analysis of motivations for, and
experiences with, news use. Theoretically, the paper shows how approaching news through users’ experiences can provide insights not just into what users appreciate from news but also into where they consider there is a lack of value.
declining advertising revenues, digital subscriptions are considered the sustainable financial strategy of the future, with young people a particularly challenging group to convert. We analyze the experiences of young adults who do not pay for news and identify three key dimensions to why they do not subscribe:
lack of exclusivity, subscriptions as too time-consuming, and unattractive payment models. We also detail how the informants maneuver around paywalls, and we highlight “multiperspectivism” as an overarching concern guiding the informants’ preferences. Empirically, the paper furthers our understanding of
the challenges facing business models for journalism, especially problems with long-term, provider-specific subscriptions. Methodologically, we demonstrate how a combination of recurring interviews and a media diary matching a subscription test period yields a deeper analysis of motivations for, and
experiences with, news use. Theoretically, the paper shows how approaching news through users’ experiences can provide insights not just into what users appreciate from news but also into where they consider there is a lack of value.
2022
Borchgrevink-Brækhus, Marianne
"Det er ikke plass til alt på internett": algoritmestyrte forsider og redaksjonelle vurderinger Journal Article
In: Norsk Medietidsskrif, 2022.
@article{Borchgrevink-Brækhus2022,
title = {"Det er ikke plass til alt på internett": algoritmestyrte forsider og redaksjonelle vurderinger},
author = {Marianne Borchgrevink-Brækhus},
url = {https://mediafutures.no/nmt-29-3-4-compressed/},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-09-16},
urldate = {2022-09-16},
journal = {Norsk Medietidsskrif},
abstract = {Denne artikkelen er en analyse av overgangen til algoritmestyrte forsider i to store norske nettaviser. I 2019 innførte flere norske regionaviser i Schibsted-konsernet algoritmestyrte nettavisforsider. Mens sakene på forsidene tidligere ble manuelt styrt og rangert av frontsjefene, er forsidene nå i stor grad automatisert ut fra bruksdata. Algoritmer automatiserer deler av forsiden basert på salg, trafikk og nyhetsverdi, der formålet, ifølge utviklerne, er å frigjøre tid til viktigere journalistiske oppgaver og gi leserne flere relevante saker. Omleggingen har imidlertid skapt debatt og bekymring for at algoritmene kan bidra til å personalisere nyhetstilbudet og svekke opplevelsen av en felles dagsor- den. Gjennom kvalitative intervjuer med utviklere, frontsjefer og journalister i to av Norges største abonnementsavi- ser, Aftenposten og Bergens Tidende, undersøker artikkelen hvordan algoritmene systematiserer nyhetsinnholdet, og hva innføringen av algoritmene betyr for tilgangen på nyheter. Selv om forsidene til en viss grad personaliseres, viser funnene at algoritmenes nåværende utforming ikke har de samme selvforsterkende mekanismene som ofte forbindes med sosiale medier. Samtidig ser redaksjonene for seg at algoritmene i fremtiden kan bidra til likere informasjons- og nyhetstilgang blant ulike brukergrupper.
This article is an analysis of the transition to algorithm-driven front pages in two Norwegian online newspapers. In 2019, Norwegian media group Schibsted implemented front page algorithms in several of their online newspapers. While the news stories previously were ranked manually by editors, the front pages are now partly automated based on sales, clicks, and news value. According to web developers, the purpose is to free up time for more critical jour- nalistic tasks and provide their readers with more relevant content. Nevertheless, the implementation of the technol- ogy has caused concern. Critics fear that algorithms will personalize the news and weaken the experience of a shared public agenda. Drawing on qualitative interviews with web developers, front page editors, and journalists in the Nor- wegian newspapers Aftenposten and Bergens Tidende, the article examines how the front page algorithms systemize and rank news content. Although the front pages are moderately personalized, the findings show that the current design of the algorithms does not entail the self-reinforcing mechanisms associated with social media. Furthermore, news professionals imply that algorithmic curation can become essential to ensure equal access to news among dif- ferent user groups in the future.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Denne artikkelen er en analyse av overgangen til algoritmestyrte forsider i to store norske nettaviser. I 2019 innførte flere norske regionaviser i Schibsted-konsernet algoritmestyrte nettavisforsider. Mens sakene på forsidene tidligere ble manuelt styrt og rangert av frontsjefene, er forsidene nå i stor grad automatisert ut fra bruksdata. Algoritmer automatiserer deler av forsiden basert på salg, trafikk og nyhetsverdi, der formålet, ifølge utviklerne, er å frigjøre tid til viktigere journalistiske oppgaver og gi leserne flere relevante saker. Omleggingen har imidlertid skapt debatt og bekymring for at algoritmene kan bidra til å personalisere nyhetstilbudet og svekke opplevelsen av en felles dagsor- den. Gjennom kvalitative intervjuer med utviklere, frontsjefer og journalister i to av Norges største abonnementsavi- ser, Aftenposten og Bergens Tidende, undersøker artikkelen hvordan algoritmene systematiserer nyhetsinnholdet, og hva innføringen av algoritmene betyr for tilgangen på nyheter. Selv om forsidene til en viss grad personaliseres, viser funnene at algoritmenes nåværende utforming ikke har de samme selvforsterkende mekanismene som ofte forbindes med sosiale medier. Samtidig ser redaksjonene for seg at algoritmene i fremtiden kan bidra til likere informasjons- og nyhetstilgang blant ulike brukergrupper.
This article is an analysis of the transition to algorithm-driven front pages in two Norwegian online newspapers. In 2019, Norwegian media group Schibsted implemented front page algorithms in several of their online newspapers. While the news stories previously were ranked manually by editors, the front pages are now partly automated based on sales, clicks, and news value. According to web developers, the purpose is to free up time for more critical jour- nalistic tasks and provide their readers with more relevant content. Nevertheless, the implementation of the technol- ogy has caused concern. Critics fear that algorithms will personalize the news and weaken the experience of a shared public agenda. Drawing on qualitative interviews with web developers, front page editors, and journalists in the Nor- wegian newspapers Aftenposten and Bergens Tidende, the article examines how the front page algorithms systemize and rank news content. Although the front pages are moderately personalized, the findings show that the current design of the algorithms does not entail the self-reinforcing mechanisms associated with social media. Furthermore, news professionals imply that algorithmic curation can become essential to ensure equal access to news among dif- ferent user groups in the future.
This article is an analysis of the transition to algorithm-driven front pages in two Norwegian online newspapers. In 2019, Norwegian media group Schibsted implemented front page algorithms in several of their online newspapers. While the news stories previously were ranked manually by editors, the front pages are now partly automated based on sales, clicks, and news value. According to web developers, the purpose is to free up time for more critical jour- nalistic tasks and provide their readers with more relevant content. Nevertheless, the implementation of the technol- ogy has caused concern. Critics fear that algorithms will personalize the news and weaken the experience of a shared public agenda. Drawing on qualitative interviews with web developers, front page editors, and journalists in the Nor- wegian newspapers Aftenposten and Bergens Tidende, the article examines how the front page algorithms systemize and rank news content. Although the front pages are moderately personalized, the findings show that the current design of the algorithms does not entail the self-reinforcing mechanisms associated with social media. Furthermore, news professionals imply that algorithmic curation can become essential to ensure equal access to news among dif- ferent user groups in the future.
2021
Borchgrevink-Brækhus, Marianne
Why won't young people pay for news? Working paper
2021.
@workingpaper{cristin1957735,
title = {Why won't young people pay for news?},
author = {Marianne Borchgrevink-Brækhus},
url = {https://app.cristin.no/results/show.jsf?id=1957735, Cristin},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {workingpaper}
}