Eye-Tracking Technology in News Consumption: A Systematic Review
TL;DR
It is demonstrated that the eye-tracking method in journalism studies evolved from a tool for measuring isolated variables into an interdisciplinary perspective that holistically reveals the relationships among attention, cognitive processing, and media literacy.
Abstract
Eye-tracking technology, which offers the potential to objectively measure user behavior in digital news environments, has drawn growing interest in journalism studies. This study aims to systematically review studies examining news consumption through the eye-tracking method and evaluate the thematic orientations, methodological characteristics, and findings from a holistic perspective. As a result of a search conducted in the Web of Science database and the subsequent multi-stage screening process, 69 studies were included in the analysis. The findings reveal that, since 2008, the field has undergone a thematic evolution extending from news interface design to platform comparisons, and from there to disinformation and media literacy. Most studies rely on experimental quantitative methods; overcoming the limitations of self-report measures through objective behavioral metrics constitutes the primary methodological contribution of this body of research. Nevertheless, homogeneous student samples, the artificiality of laboratory settings, and dependence on momentary measurements stand out as the major limitations of the field. This study demonstrates that the eye-tracking method in journalism studies evolved from a tool for measuring isolated variables into an interdisciplinary perspective that holistically reveals the relationships among attention, cognitive processing, and media literacy.