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As digital news continues to evolve, data visualization has become an important instrument for enhancing storytelling and fostering emotional engagement. Interactivity is often assumed to deepen this engagement, yet its effects on emotional response and perceived trustworthiness remain underexplored. This study examines the impact of interactivity in data storytelling using The Uber Game published by the Financial Times. A between-subjects experiment was conducted with 60 participants, randomly assigned to either an interactive game condition or a non-interactive video condition. Data were collected through Likert-scale questionnaires and open-ended responses. Results show that the interactive version significantly increases emotional engagement. It also affects perceived trustworthiness, although more moderately, with some participants expressing skepticism toward specific elements of the experience. These findings suggest that while interactivity can enhance engagement, its influence on trustworthiness is more complex and context-dependent, with implications for the design of interactive news experiences.
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Hoang et al. (2026) studied this question.
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