Understanding the Users of Alternative News Media—Media Epistemologies, News Consumption, and Media Practices

Abstract

Alternative media are more recently discussed as anti-democratic threats rather than hopeful alternatives to established mainstream positions. Despite the growing attention to anti-system alternative media in communication research, knowledge about the users of these media is still limited. In this article, a qualitative approach is used to explore alternative media users’ motives and practices as well as the role these media play in their overall news consumption. An empirical study involving 35 guided interviews with users of digital alternative media was conducted to categorize the users based on how they selected, sorted, and curated their personal blend of media and the role alternative media played in their repertoire. In the analysis, a typology of alternative media users was developed, resulting in five different user types of (1) the awakened infowarrior, (2) the critical curator, (3) the completist, (4) the reconnaissance user, and (5) the community seeker.