网络交互性与用户迷失问题探讨

网络新闻作为计算机中介传播的一种新形式,与传统纸质新闻和广播电视节目相区别的一个主要特征就是交互性。在国内学者纷纷关注网络交互性给新闻信息传播带来的种种优势及其转换受众角色的光明前景时,却往往忽略了交互性的负面效果(比如用户迷航)以及随之而来的网络交互性技术设计和运用如何针对用户不同特质的问题。本文在提出用户感知交互性研究视角的基础上,总结了国际学界对内容互动中因交互性过度而产生的用户迷航和情感反应问题的研究,并针对消减用户迷失感提出一些网络设计机制方面的对策建议,主张以适应性导航支持技术在新闻网站的进一步开发和利用为切入点,加强旨在改进新闻网站交互性用户效果的实证研究,使之在完善内容定制化的同时更为有效地达到传播目的。

A key feature distinguishing online news,a new form of computer-mediated communication,from the printed or broadcast version,is interactivity.While frequently paying attention to various advantages that online interactivity may be bringing to news information communication and the prospect regarding how interactivity is changing the role of audience,Chinese scholars have overlooked the negative effects of interactivity(e.g.,disorientation that users experience in complex information spaces) and issues regarding how the design and applications of interactivity technologies adapt to different characteristics of users.Based on the perspective of users’ perceived interactivity,the current essay summarizes international research on the disorientation problem and emotional responses that are caused by interactivity and proposes some suggestions to reduce the feelings of disorientation in terms of Web design mechanism.The author advocates empirical studies in how to enhance the effects of interactivity on news Web sites taking an approach to the development and applications of adaptive navigation support technologies for the purpose of effectively achieving communication goals as well as improving content customization.