News, an experience good objectified by its metrics? The qualities of digital information
Abstract
Generated by interactive and real-time measurement capabilities of the web, audience metrics act increasingly on how information is produced and highlighted on the web. The definition of quality offered by the newspaper company in the selection and prioritization of online news is now to compete with that proposed by the metrics. But, to objectify the quality of digital information will always be problematic insofar as it is an experience good, whose valuation is subjective (doing (or not) echo the subjective preferences of the individual, his interests and prior knowledge) and social.