The DOI matches its Crossref record; 62 of the 63 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Content for Free? Drivers of Past Payment, Paying Intent and Willingness to Pay for Digital Journalism – A Systematic Literature Review
Abstract
The advertising-based revenue model for journalism is severely challenged due to the effects of digitization. Providers of journalistic content have therefore put increasing emphasis on paid content strategies in recent years. This article provides a literature review of factors that contribute to consumers’ past payment (PP), paying intent (PI) and willingness to pay (WTP) for digital journalistic content. We identify 17 variables based on 37 articles that influence PP, PI and WTP. While those factors are linked to either consumer(s), the product or its economics, little research examines the psychological needs and motives associated with demand for digital journalism. Due to inconsistent measurements in the literature, however, the results remain ambiguous.
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In the citing paper
“As a result, information consumption becomes more fragmented and less balanced.(O'Brien et al., 2020).”
From CHANGES IN PUBLIC INFORMATION CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN THE DIGITAL ERA: A LITERATURE STUDY ON DIGITAL JOURNALISM (2025) · cites this paper as O'Brien et al., 2020
In the citing paper
“While this can increase the relevance of information, it can also narrow the spectrum of information consumed, creating a 'filter bubble' where users are not exposed to different perspectives.”
From CHANGES IN PUBLIC INFORMATION CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN THE DIGITAL ERA: A LITERATURE STUDY ON DIGITAL JOURNALISM (2025) · cites this paper as O'Brien et al., 2020
In the citing paper
“Many digital platforms use algorithms to tailor the news and information that appears to users based on their browsing habits and preferences.”
From CHANGES IN PUBLIC INFORMATION CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN THE DIGITAL ERA: A LITERATURE STUDY ON DIGITAL JOURNALISM (2025) · cites this paper as O'Brien et al., 2020
Citations
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Cited by
Olsen, R. K., Kalsnes, B., & Barland, J. (2021) · Digital Journalism · doi:10.1080/21670811.2021.1973905 · Cited by 92
Zhou, S., Li, T., Yang, S., & Chen, Y. (2022) · Electronic Commerce Research and Applications · doi:10.1016/j.elerap.2022.101126 · Cited by 89
Ekström, M., Ramsälv, A., & Westlund, O. (2021) · Journalism · doi:10.1177/14648849211052419 · Cited by 64
Regional news audiences’ value perception of local news
Park, S., Fisher, C., & Lee, J. Y. (2021) · Journalism · doi:10.1177/1464884921992998 · Cited by 50
Why people don’t pay for news: A qualitative study
Kormelink, T. G. (2022) · Journalism · doi:10.1177/14648849221099325 · Cited by 50
Metadata
- Authors
- O’Brien, D., Wellbrock, C.-M., & Kleer, N.
- Affiliations
- University of Cologne (DE)
- Corresponding author
- O’Brien, Daniel
- Venue
- Digital Journalism
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2020-05-27
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 643-672
- ISSN
- 2167-0811 (ISSN-L)
- 2167-082X
- OpenAlex
- W3033217106
- Cited by
- 90
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 4.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Digital Journalism (publishedVersion)
- Kölner Universitäts PublikationsServer (Universität zu Köln) (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Journalism and Media Studies
- Social Sciences › Communication › News Media Framing and Political Communication
- Social Sciences › Library and Information Sciences › Publishing and Scholarly Communication
- Keywords
- paid content, willingness to pay, consumer behavior, advertising revenue model, content pricing, psychological motives
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Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.
