Which storytelling people prefer? Mapping news topic and news engagement in social media

Nations engage in a nuanced competition to achieve soft power through social media on a global scale. Exploring the intricate dynamics, research endeavors focus on unraveling the mechanisms by which national media endeavors not only captivate a diverse international audience but also amplify their influence through carefully crafted narratives. However, extant research falls short in both theoretical and empirical examinations of the intricate interplay between news content and news engagement. This research examines in depth the news content strategy employed by China's national media for global communication, focusing on 6632 YouTube videos of CGTN (China Global Television Network) from May 2021 to August 2023. Specifically, utilizing BERTopic machine learning techniques, we identified 16 distinct news topics and associated with news engagement metrics (e.g., number of views, likes, and comments). Our results reveal a pattern of selective engagement and avoidance by international audiences, particularly in their significant interest in geopolitical and technological topics, while showing less interest in Chinese cultural and social news. This study offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of national media's digital storytelling strategy, shedding light on audience preferences and areas for potential recalibration in content dissemination. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.