## 4 Discussion
Previous research by [PERSON] and [PERSON] has tried to link specific color usage on the Web with trustworthiness, finding blue, green, and red to be most positively linked to user perception of trust [10]. [PERSON] et al. investigated the various colors that appeal to users and Web designers and concluded that blue and orange were considered the most appealing [11]. Both these studies took place in 2011 after which both blue and orange seem to present a positive trend in our findings too. On the other hand, the use of green, which was considered second most related to trustworthiness by [PERSON] [10], has been steadily declining in our findings and is, in terms of usage, the third least used color overall. The blue-green tertiary color though has been found to be one of the most popular colors just behind white, black, and blue. Overall, the trends regarding specific color usage presented in Figure 17 can be used to draw rather limited conclusions. As [PERSON] et al. [39] note, user responses to color vary based on different demographic factors such as age and gender. Additionally, what is important is not the specific color used but successfully utilizing that color to build brand identity. Despite that, [PERSON] describes that emotional response to specific colors is part of human nature [12] and our findings confirm that there are indications that the use of specific colors is a conscious design choice, aiming to create appeal. Nevertheless, further research work is required to draw safer conclusions. On the matter of empty space color, white is the most popular choice, with black being a very distant second choice as seen in Figure 18. As [PERSON] and [PERSON] [40] present in a recent study, the light-on-dark color scheme, which is based on black as an empty space color, has been increasingly popular and has ushered the coming of \"Dark Mode\" in applications and websites. The intent of such an approach is reduced eye strain, as overall screen time for individuals increases [40]. On the other hand, as seen in Figure 19, using colors besides black and white as empty space colors has declined. A major factor in this development might be the fact that modern human-computer interaction design principles request a standard minimum contrast ratio which should be extended as discussed by [PERSON] et al. [41] to improve both luminance and clarity. When using a color with above 16% brightness or saturation (which were the limits of black and white in our study) this contrast ratio is rather harder to achieve. Hence the media outlets' motivation to increase accessibility and usability might lead to the abandonment of using other basic colors as empty space colors. Finally, Figure 20 presents the usage of the various color schemes. The general effort to produce visual complexity which can lead to improved first impressions from users [8], while at the same time maintaining color harmony, leads to the increase of complementary and analogous color schemes in the last decade. White [13], especially mentions that the use of complementary color schemes that evoke pleasure, can invoke positive attitudes towards advertisements and drive purchases. On the other hand, the triadic scheme still amounts to a very small portion of the website instances that were investigated in this research.