News Consumption Research Articles

Is There a “Green Moral”? How Young People’s Moral Attributes Define Engagement with Narratives about Climate Change

This paper discusses the relationship between morality and engagement focused on the narratives about climate change. The goal of our research is to understand whether moral grounds identified in individuals and in narratives can influence youth’s engagement in environmental debate and news consumption on climate change. Recognizing that people’s perceptions of climate change are related to several factors, such as ideas, cultures, and values, we sought to understand whether there is a “green morality” or a prevalence of more responsive moral attributes in individuals when they are exposed to thinking about the environment. We use the Moral Foundations Theory to analyze comments on the environmental news on Twitter and a questionnaire adapted to the environment on moral grounds. The data were collected from Brazil and Portugal between 2021 and 2022. The overall results showed a high incidence of responses with Care/Harm and Fairness/Cheating, and an average incidence of responses related to Loyalty/Betrayal and Authority/Subversion. The results indicate that youngsters show a more prominent moral to care and environmental harm, as well as justice and responsibility, which may influence their interest in the consumption of environmental news and future engagement. In addition, there are factors, such as political issues, that can influence moral values and engagement.

Curiosity in news consumption

AbstractWe analyze how curiosity drives news consumption. We test predictions of the information‐gap theory of curiosity using over 100,000 WeChat news articles, applying NLP methods to construct measures of salience, importance, and surprisingness associated with news headlines, experimentally validating these measures, and using them to predict clicks. Our findings confirm that people tend to consume news when: the headline sparks a salient question; the content appears more important (e.g., emphasized by the headline's position on the webpage or an exclamation mark); the headline refers to more surprising topics (measured as the KL‐divergence from a baseline topic distribution); and the headline has lower valence. Information‐gap theory helps predict aggregate news consumption. Yet our data also reveal a small negative correlation between the number of clicks and the ratio of likes to clicks, suggesting that while inducing curiosity can drive short‐term news consumption, it doesn't necessarily enhance long‐term reader engagement.

Why do voters elect criminal politicians?

Voters across the world are often complicit in electing bad-quality legislators to political office. This problem is particularly salient in India, where candidates accused of criminality often succeed at the polls. Why do voters show a willingness to cast their ballots for candidates accused of wrongdoing? Using primary individual-level voter survey data from the Bihar 2020 state assembly elections, this paper examines whether ethnic voting can explain this surprising voter behavior. Contrary to voter preference theory, I find that voters exhibit a stronger negative response to candidates accused of criminality when they belong to their preferred ethnic party. Voter support for the non-ethnic falls by 89.2% for violent charges. Coethnicity further reduces electoral support by 67% for violent criminals. This pattern holds regardless of the voters’ level of news consumption, political knowledge, education status, and income. These findings suggest that the electoral success of criminal politicians could be attributed to other factors such as a lack of proper institutions or lower state capacity rather than the voters’ underlying ethnic preferences.

ENSEMBLE CLASSIFIER BASED FAKE NEWS IDENTIFICATION IN ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK

In today’s context, one of the main mediums of news consumption is through social media. It has become a common trend now to produce fake news for speedy propagation and popularity. Thus, it creates a sort of illusion and deception for readers. Amidst the umpty number of researches done, we could say that there is no research that could accurately predict fake news over online. In this study, the ensemble classifier is employed to develop a model for fake news identification in online social networks. This proposed method applies the stacked ensemble classification model, the proposed approach that learns the represented text model and classifies the textual data into real news and fake news. Then, the proposed approach takes the collaborative decision from the classified data that is generated from the multiple base learners using the weight-based ensemble method. The accuracy prediction and performance evaluation of time consumption of detection fake news are consecutively 80 Percentage and 11 ms respectively. Thus, it improves the efficiency and classification accuracy over large-scale social media messages through an efficient sentiment analysis model.

Online news in India: a quantitative appraisal of the digital news consumption landscape in the world’s largest democracy (2014–2018)

ABSTRACT How do people in the world’s largest democracy consume news online? In this paper, I aim to answer this question by conducting a quantitative assessment of the online news consumption behavior of a large sample of Indian internet users (N≈50,000) over a period of 45 months. In doing so, I contribute to theoretical debates about global news media use, by systematically appraising the prominence and trends in audience share of different types of news sources, thereby shedding light on the digital news consumption landscape of a crucial, but understudied context. Theoretically, I engage with the displacement-complementarity hypothesis and find no evidence that digital-born media have contested the hegemony of legacy media in India online. Next, I investigate the regional-national media divide and find that regional, vernacular media have suffered significant declines in their audience shares over time. This begs the question whether the notion of ‘polycentrism’ – the idea that the Indian media environment is comprised of national and regional media of equivalent weight – is at all applicable online as it is offline. These findings also run counter to claims of ‘internet vernacularization’ that have been touted in the past. Finally, I propose the concept of audience mobility, and use it to identify qualitatively distinct dynamics in how vernacular audiences in India have migrated to national vis-à-vis international outlets. The findings and their implications are discussed in light of contemporary changes in Indian society that is characterized by rapid digitization and increasing literacy.

Microtargeting, voters’ unawareness, and democracy

Abstract Recent technological developments have raised concerns about threats to democracy because of their potential to distort election outcomes: (a) data-driven voter research enabling political microtargeting and (b) growing news consumption via social media and news aggregators that obfuscate the origin of news items, leading to voters’ unawareness about a news sender’s identity. We provide a theoretical framework in which we can analyze the effects that microtargeting by political interest groups and unawareness have on election outcomes in comparison to “conventional” news reporting. We show which voter groups suffer from which technological development (a) or (b). While both microtargeting and unawareness have negative effects on voter welfare, we show that only unawareness can flip an election. Our model framework allows the theory-based discussion of policy proposals, such as to ban microtargeting or to require news platforms to signal the political orientation of a news item’s originator (JEL C72, D72, D82, D83).

Fake News and Cinema: film analysis in Europe and the United States

How does cinema reflect the reality of fake news? This paper answers this question. To the existing studies on cinema and journalism we want to add, under a qualitative analysis, the following point of view: those information professionals who defend professional malpractice because it is what the public demands. We understand qualitative methodology as the action of giving the film pieces analysed the category of primary source. We understand primary sources as those in which the data come directly from the population or a sample of the population (Torres, Paz and Salazar, 2014, p. 3). In this case, we are not talking about people, but about films.The viral is present in news consumers who, despite having more capacity to communicate than ever, are victims and, at the same time, part of the problem in the rapid spread of fake news. On the one hand, the audience is a victim because their right to be informed with a quality news product is being violated. Secondly, it is also part of the problem. It is not possible for malicious information to have a strong influence on society if there is no audience to consume it. That is, without a prior critical analysis of the product they are consuming. The films analysed have shown us that the population must assume certain responsibilities in order to avoid the disastrous consequences of fake news.

The Degree of Homogeneity Versus Heterogeneity in Individuals’ Political News Consumption

Abstract: This work investigated the prevalence of filter bubble or echo chamber-related phenomena, psychological factors rendering individuals resilient or vulnerable to them, and their associations to political views focusing on extremity and polarization. For this, a cross-cultural replication of a study by Sindermann et al. (2021) was conducted. As an extension, multiple political views variables were assessed to examine whether the application of different conceptualizations of political views explains heterogeneous findings across previous studies. Two samples were recruited: 390 ( n = 135 males) US college students and a quota sample of 489 ( n = 243 males) US adults. Participants completed personality scales and measures on political news consumption homogeneity versus heterogeneity and political views. Consistent with previous research, results revealed few individuals consume political news absolutely homogeneously. Openness was negatively related to the degree of political news consumption homogeneity, and the relationship between political news consumption homogeneity and political views yielded inconsistent, often statistically nonsignificant, results. These findings challenge the prevailing notion of filter bubbles and echo chambers as widespread phenomena and indicate that relationships between political news consumption homogeneity and political views are not necessarily deleterious with respect to extremization and polarization. As such, the results suggest that these phenomena might not be as significant for the general population as previously thought. Nonetheless, certain individuals might still find themselves in filter bubbles or echo chambers and suffer from accompanying consequences. In this regard, the present work replicates findings underscoring that individuals with lower Openness exhibit greater political news consumption homogeneity.

Consumption of News through News Aggregator Applications : A study of Mangalore city

Technological advances in the field of communication is leading to new forms of consumption of news and information. Consumption of news on smartphones is relatively a new phenomenon in today's media landscape. Today, almost every media organization has its own smartphone application to distribute news content to readers. But the rice of news aggregators and their smartphone applications has created a new dimension of news consumption on the portable device. Applications that aggregate news, such as Google News, Dailyhunt, Inshorts, Opera News etc., offer users personalized and up-to-date news from reputed sources. News consumers are turning to news aggregator apps as they provide news from multiple sources on a single platform. Despite the popularity of news aggregator applications in India. The present study tries to find out the impact of news aggregator applications on news consumers and the patterns of news consumption in these applications. Mangalore City of Karnataka state was selected to study the problem. The primary data collected from 220 respondents randomly through structured questionnaire.

Depolarized by the Media? The Role of Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Traditional and Digital Media Diets in Issue Polarization Around COVID-19 in the United States

ABSTRACT Research suggests that a heterogeneous media diet can foster more objective information evaluations, reducing issue polarization as a result. These findings beg the question: Can increased news heterogeneity reduce issue polarization around COVID-19? Using data from a cross-sectional survey in the United States (N = 1,262), this study found that – in line with theoretical expectations – at high levels of homogeneity of traditional and digital news consumption, the difference in support for COVID-19 prevention between Biden and Trump supporters was significantly large. Conversely, this attitude gap narrowed at high news heterogeneity levels. Our results continue to advance research on the role of homogeneous and heterogeneous media diets and biased cognitive processing in issue polarization, a crucial endeavor as polarization poses a challenge to effective public health policy implementation and pandemic management. At the outset, the implications of our findings for pandemic communication (and health communication more generally) are discussed.

Preservice Social Studies Teachers’ News Consumption Habits and Perceptions of News Media and News Media Literacy

As the landscape of news media continues to evolve, preservice teachers today may have a unique set of understandings of what it means to be news conscious; may engage with different forms of news media than previous generations; and may have different reasons for including (or not) news media in their classroom. This qualitative study utilizes semi-structured interviews and artifact data to explore the news consumption habits of preservice social studies teachers, how their habits reflect their perceptions of news media, and their ideas for incorporating news media and news media literacy in the social studies classroom. Findings indicate that, although there were variances in their news consumption habits, the preservice teachers exhibited similarities in their engagement with and perceptions of news media. While they see the importance of news media literacy, they do not feel prepared to tackle such practices with their future students. This study indicates the need for a dedicated space in social studies teacher preparation for preservice teachers to interrogate their news media habits and perceptions to better prepare them for engaging with and navigating the evolving news media landscape with their future students.

Unlocking young people’s engagement with online news: affective or cognitive?

PurposeMost new media research focuses on behavior as a measure of engagement, while the psychological state of being occupied with its content has received little attention. This study examined news engagement beyond pure action observation by exploring young people’s psychological experiences with the news.Design/methodology/approachThe study carried out a digital native’s survey on 212 people (18–28 years). The focus of the survey was on understanding individuals’ engagement with online news using affective and cognitive components. The authors compared the influence of each type of engagement on youth consumption of and attitudes toward online news.FindingsThe results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that affective engagement can be a stronger predictor of online news consumption than cognitive engagement. While affective engagement significantly predicts positive attitudes toward online news, cognitive engagement had no significant effect.Originality/valueThese findings suggest that “engaging the heart” is more influential than “engaging the mind” in drawing young people to the news in today’s information environment. The study thus contributes to the understanding of the cognitive and emotional focus on news content and their importance in shaping young people’s expectations of online news. The findings from this study could have broader implications for future trends in online news consumption.

A qualitative examination of (political) media diets across age cohorts in five countries

Abstract In recent research, the concept of “media diets” has received increased attention. However, the concept remains vague and not fully developed, and rarely, if at all, do researchers ask citizens about their perceptions of their own and others’ media diets. With the ongoing transformation of the media landscape, there has never been a more pertinent time to explore these perceptions, which this research intends to do. The main goal of this paper then is to identify recommendations addressing recently voiced concerns about news consumption patterns in contemporary society to relevant stakeholders. Empirically, the study is based on a series of focus group interviews with younger (18–25 years old) and older (over 55) adults in five European countries (Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the UK). Our results show important cohort differences as well as cross-country similarities, which are pertinent insights for the formulation of stakeholder recommendations.

The Psychosocial Effects of Lockdown Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children in 2021.

Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide lockdown that isolated numerous children and adolescents, significantly affecting their mental well-being. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the challenges faced by children during the pandemic and identify the potential contributing factors. Additionally, given the existing concerns surrounding the mental health of female children and adolescents, our study aimed to investigate the presence of sex-based disparities in children's observed emotional and behavioral difficulties during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods Participants in this study were parents of children aged 6-17 years. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted through verbal administration of a validated semi-structured questionnaire, the Parent Report Measure, from June 2021 to August 2021 at a nearby community health center. The questionnaire collected socio-demographic details and utilized the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a screening tool to assess children's emotional and behavioral aspects during the six-month lockdown period. The responses were then analyzed using appropriate statistical tools like SPSS statistics, and cumulative SDQ scores were used to categorize participants. Results Out of the total 280 responses analyzed, the prosocial subscale exhibited the highest number of abnormal responses, 73 (26.1%), followed by conduct (42; 15%), hyperactivity (41; 14.6%), and peer (41; 14.6%) subscales. These results indicated that children displayed decreased empathy towards others, restlessness, fidgetiness, reduced attention span, frequent tantrums, and a preference for solitary activities. Furthermore, there was a significant association between abnormal subscale scores and the sex of children. Females showed a considerably higher prevalence of emotional problems (172; 61.5%) than males. Among the behavioral responses, a more significant proportion of females displayed abnormal scores in the conduct subscale (170; 60.7%), while abnormal hyperactivity scores were more frequently observed among males (178; 63.4%). Regarding the peer problems subscale, the proportion of females was slightly higher than males (150; 53.7%) and nearly equal in the prosocial domain. A more significant proportion of females displayed abnormal scores for overall difficulties 144 (51.5%), indicating a notable sex-based disparity. Conclusion Our findings highlight the pandemic's significant impact on many children's psychological well-being. The results emphasize the need for targeted interventions to address the mental health concerns that arose in this population. The observed disparity in emotional and behavioral difficulties among female children is particularly concerning, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive support and care. Various strategies can be helpful, such as virtual support groups, indoor recreational activities, reduced screen time and excessive news consumption, and effective communication with parents. Furthermore, our study also indicates the need to dive deep into such areas of pediatric research to understand and plan timely interventions.

Journalism and social-political conflict in contemporary society

This study delves into the intricate dynamics between journalism and contemporary social-political conflicts. It aims to comprehend the challenges journalists face when reporting on such conflicts, encompassing physical risks in conflict zones, ethical dilemmas arising from portraying sensitive issues, and economic pressures influencing media coverage decisions. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Peace Journalism, the study adopts principles emphasizing accuracy, fairness, and the promotion of dialogue over sensationalism. Utilizing the descriptive research method, the study consults and analyzes relevant literatures, documents, and records to interrogate media ethics and power in multicultural Nigeria. Findings reveal challenges in conflict reporting, including threats to physical safety, ethical quandaries, and economic constraints shaping narratives. Social-political conflicts trigger shifts in the media landscape, influencing news consumption patterns, contributing to media polarization, and fostering the rise of citizen journalism facilitated by social media platforms. Hence, the study offers a set of recommendations to address identified challenges. These encompass safeguarding press freedom, implementing media literacy programs, providing comprehensive journalist training and support, diversifying news sources, establishing ethical reporting guidelines, promoting peace journalism initiatives, fostering international collaboration, launching public awareness campaigns, investing in conflict reporting, and advocating for ongoing research and continuous monitoring.

I Do Not (Want To) Know! The Relationship Between Intentional News Avoidance and Low News Consumption

ABSTRACT News avoidance is associated with misperceptions and lower political knowledge and participation. Synthetizing the research results in differentiating between intentional news avoidance, a conscious choice, and news avoidance as low news consumption. Although these two types seem to be driven by different factors and have distinct consequences, the current research has predominantly ignored to consider this distinction and the dimensions’ interplay. Our study contributes to closing that gap. We conducted an online survey in Austria (N = 1,007) and identified different types of avoiders based on the intentionality (high/average or low) and news consumption (high or average/low). The results show that only a small proportion of our sample avoids news intentionally and displays low news consumption. In fact, most intentional avoiders retain average/high news consumption, suggesting that intentional news avoidance can be a by-product of news use and not opting out. Concerning predictors, both dimensions can be partly explained by a lower perceived civic duty to keep informed and lower political interest. However, they have unique predictors indicating that high intentional news avoidance is an expression of dissatisfaction with news negativity, while low news consumption is connected to a lack of trust in media and politics.

Correction to: The Double‑Edged Sword of Job‑Relevant News Consumption: a Within‑Person Examination of the Costs and Benefits for Employees

Correction to: The Double‑Edged Sword of Job‑Relevant News Consumption: a Within‑Person Examination of the Costs and Benefits for Employees

Selective News Avoidance: Consistency and Temporality

Can news avoidance be considered a stable personal “trait,” adhering to a specific group of consistent news avoiders, or is it rather a volatile “state” reflecting temporal variations in audience practices? Based on a five-wave panel survey collected in Sweden during the coronavirus pandemic, we show that selective avoidance of news about the pandemic varies both between persons, representing consistency, and within persons, representing temporality. Drawing on the information utility model, we additionally show that both dimensions are related to audience preferences, specifically news interest, news media trust, and societal concerns. These results illustrate that the practice of selective news avoidance is not restricted to a specific group of people with limited news use but also represents a more fluid audience behavior of adjusting news consumption patterns in response to individual and contextual changes. However, as the correlates of the two dimensions are similar, the results stress the polarizing potential of news avoidance in democracy.

Spanish Vs. English Language Media Consumption and Latino Political Trust and Efficacy

ABSTRACT Do Latinos who consume more Spanish language media relative to English language media express greater political trust and efficacy? While research produces increasing evidence that variations in English language media content shape core democratic attitudes like political trust, and that Spanish language media shapes acculturation and issue attitudes among Latinos, research has not explored whether broader linguistic media environments shape attitudes fundamental to democracy. Given revolutionary changes the English language media environment, and stark contrasts between English and Spanish language media environments in terms of fragmentation, ideological and partisan news reporting, narratives portraying Latinos as a “threat,” and Latino-oriented and affirming content, relative consumption of Spanish or English language news may come with important implications. Bilingual Latinos who consume varying mixtures of media from these environments offer a unique population for exploring these relationships. Building off studies relating patterns of Latino acculturation and Spanish language media to a variety of attitudinal effects, we explore the relationship between linguistic media consumption and political trust and efficacy using three unique datasets: the 2008 CMPS, 2016 CMPS, and our own survey conducted in 2021. We then leverage unique variables in the 2016 CMPS to explore whether Latino trust and efficacy relate directly to relative consumption of Spanish language media or indirectly to Spanish language media through recall of Latino-oriented content and induced emotional reactions.

The challenge of Foreign Investment in Mexico: Between Theory and Public Opinion. An Analysis of Perception and Challenges Regarding FDI as a Source of Innovation

Purpose: This research explores the public opinion of online news consumers, expressed through Facebook comments, regarding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a source of innovation in Mexico. The study seeks to comprehend the challenges faced by FDI in the country and their potential impact on the public perception of FDI as a driver of innovation in the Mexican economy. Theoretical Framework: This study examines previous research that explores FDI as a source of innovation in host economies, aiming to provide the context necessary for understanding how the public perceives the role of foreign resources in fostering innovation in Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology employed in this research was the phenomenological design of a qualitative approach to analyze interactions and comments on Facebook from users who consume online news related to FDI in Mexico. The aim was to identify patterns and trends in public opinion regarding the perception of FDI as a source of innovation. Findings: The theoretical perspective suggests that FDI can foster innovation in host countries; however, an analysis of public perception revealed challenges and controversies associated with FDI in the Mexican economy. Research, Practical & Social Implications: The comprehension of public opinion regarding FDI as a source of innovation allows the establishment of suitable strategies for the integration of Mexican companies into the international market. Originality/Value: This paper offers a perspective to understand how public opinion of FDI can influence its role as a catalyst for innovation in the Mexican economy.