Incidental news exposure and political consumerism – Exploring nuances

Abstract

With the rise of the internet and social media, many people find their news online, often only incidentally. Burgeoning research in this line of inquiry has explored the connection between incidental exposure to news (INE) and participatory political behaviors. However, certain peculiarities still need to be addressed in this area. Working with panel survey data from the United States, in this study, we uncover the relationship between incidental news exposure and political consumerism as well as nuances thereof. While there is a positive connection between overall INE and consumerism, our findings reveal that different effects emerge depending on the place of incidental exposure (on social media, traditional media, or online), thus highlighting that the focus on social media INE applied in many studies needs to be broadened. Furthermore, we find differences between those who boycott and buycott, challenging the traditional composition of the political consumerism measurement.