Author(s): Vitalii Hontar

Abstract: The article presents a comprehensive analysis of attention retention mechanisms and audience engagement enhancement in short news videos within algorithmic short-video platforms. The study is based on the systematization of cognitive mechanisms of media consumption, the comparison of audiovisual characteristics of video content, and the interpretation of motivational factors influencing user interaction with news materials. The analysis shows that attention retention in short-video platform environments is formed through the combination of perceptual flow states, the architecture of algorithmic feeds, and the characteristics of the initial phase of user interaction with video content. It is established that audience engagement is determined both by the content of the news message and by the parameters of media presentation, including sensory characteristics of image and sound, the dynamics of visual storytelling, and emotional strategies of information presentation. Special attention is given to motivational mechanisms of news sharing in social networks, where user activity becomes an important element of the secondary circulation of media content and the expansion of information reach. It is shown that the effectiveness of short news videos emerges as a result of the interaction between cognitive mechanisms of attention retention, structural characteristics of video materials, and social motivations of user behavior. The practical significance of the results lies in their potential application in the development and adaptation of news video content for short-video platforms, as well as in the formation of editorial strategies for media companies operating in algorithmic media environments. The study demonstrates that attention retention and audience engagement in short news videos should be considered as an interconnected system of cognitive, media-production, and social factors.

Keywords: short videos, attention retention, audience engagement, news video content, algorithmic platforms, audiovisual characteristics, news sharing.

Article Info: Received: 17 Mar 2026; Received in revised form: 16 Apr 2026; Accepted: 19 Apr 2026; Available online: 24 Apr 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.112.76