European countries show greatly differing patterns of active participation in their news usage, such as sharing, liking or commenting on articles. While there are many more Internet users actively participating in southern Europe, the population with online access in central and northern Europe is rather restrained. The reasons for these differences cannot be found in the individual characteristics of age, formal education or news interest. Rather, the lack of performance of traditional media institutions may encourage citizens to participate actively. The unfulfilled tasks and functions of the media seem to be compensated in this way. Additionally, an online population that is characterized by early adopters, as is the case in countries with low Internet penetration rates, is significantly more active than a more heterogeneous online population in countries with a higher penetration rate.