Half-life of Youtube News Videos: Diffusion Dynamics and Predictive Factors

YouTube news videos reach peak engagement extremely quickly: The average 24-hour half-life is approximately 7 hours, meaning half of a video's daily views occur within the first 7 hours of publication. This rapid consumption window suggests that news narratives can spread and solidify public opinion faster than many people realize, with limited time for fact-checking or critical evaluation.

Significant variation exists across countries and regions: Half-life times range from as short as 2 hours to as long as 15 hours depending on location and context, indicating that news consumption patterns are not uniform globally. This variation suggests that different populations may have different vulnerabilities to misinformation or different levels of engagement with news content.

Video and channel characteristics can predict engagement speed: The research identifies specific video- and channel-related factors that predict how quickly news spreads, using Explainable AI techniques to determine which features matter most. Understanding these predictive factors is important for identifying which types of content gain traction fastest and may warrant closer scrutiny for accuracy.

The first 24 hours are critical for news narrative formation: With most engagement happening in the first 7 hours on average, the initial day represents a crucial period where false or misleading narratives can establish themselves before corrections or fact-checks gain traction, highlighting the need for rapid response mechanisms to misinformation on the platform.