How Does Content Aggregation Affect Users' Search for Information?

Lesley Chiou () and Catherine Tucker
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Lesley Chiou: Occidental College, http://faculty.oxy.edu/lchiou/

No 11-18, Working Papers from NET Institute

Abstract: The digital revolution has dramatically reduced search costs for information. Consumers can now access information that is aggregated from many sources. We ask whether aggregators encourage users to ``skim" or investigate content in depth. We exploit a contract dispute that led a major aggregator to remove content from a content provider. We find that after the removal, users were less likely to investigate additional content in depth. Further analysis suggests that the presence of information benefited either very national or local content the most. Our study is the first to measure how new communications technology affects information gathered by consumers.

Keywords: News; Online; Search (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2011-10, Revised 2011-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ict and nep-ind
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:net:wpaper:1118

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