Mobile News Consumption Research Articles

Predictors of Mobile News Consumption through News Applications (Apps): The Impacts of Audience Characteristics, Media Usage, and Motivations

This study investigates news audiences’ platform preferences, usage patterns, and factors affecting their mobile news consumption through news apps. Four explanatory factors, news app users’ demographics, news media usage, perceptions, and motivations, are proposed to predict adoption intention. By surveying 698 mobile news app users in the US, this study’s findings indicate that user perceptions of news apps (i.e., perceived ease of use, compatibility, relative content advantage, and observability) and instrumental motivations of news consumption (i.e., information-seeking and opinion needs) best predict news consumers’ willingness to continue using mobile news apps. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed to offer new insights into mobile news audience behavior and inform current digital publishers on cross-media strategies in the highly competitive mobile news market.

Mobile news access, mobile news repertoires, and users’ tendency to talk about the news – an experience sampling study on mobile news consumption

Abstract Purpose Over the past three decades, our media ecologies have substantially transformed, changing how people get in touch with the news. These changes have also led to higher variability in news access across users’ daily lives. Using the microcosm of mobile news consumption as a proxy for the changes in our general news use, we explore types of mobile news access and mobile news repertoires and their relations to users’ tendency to talk about the news. Our exploratory study aims to describe intra- and inter-personal variations in mobile news use. By taking this fine-grained perspective on mobile news use, we provide a more comprehensive assessment than cross-sectional studies, which is valuable to researchers and practitioners in mobile news. Methodology We conducted a 14-day experience sampling study among 72 young adult Germans. We received 2,211 filled-in in-situ questionnaires based on three daily alerts, reporting on 560 mobile news situations. We used multi-level latent class analysis to simultaneously assess patterns of mobile news access and mobile news repertoires. Findings We uncover five distinct types of mobile news access embedded in four mobile news repertoires. These findings highlight the considerable intra-individual heterogeneity in mobile news use. However, these heterogeneities only scarcely manifest in users’ tendency to talk about the news. Practical and social value Our study highlights the importance of acknowledging intra-individual variation when studying news use and its implications. Most importantly, we see that no mobile news repertoire among our sample relies solely on social media-based mobile news access. Researchers and practitioners must acknowledge these heterogeneities when discussing the benefits and perils of social media-based news access.

Effects of message, medium, and motivational factors on news engagement and mobile news consumption: Evidence from Malaysia

This study examined the predictors of news engagement and mobile news consumption in Malaysia. Online consumption and engagement of public affairs news were highlighted by collecting data from an online survey among 520 respondents who consume news online. Resultantly, the message factor is the most influential predictor as news credibility was the only significant predictor for news engagement and mobile consumption of public affairs news in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the relationship between online medium and users’ motivation for social utility significantly impact their engagement with public affairs news but not mobile news consumption. Immediacy and information-seeking indicated negligible and insignificant influences. The implications of the study are discussed.

Mobile News Consumption and Its Relation to Young Adults’ Knowledge About and Participation in Referendums

The news media are among the most important sources of information about political events, such as referendums. For young adults, the smartphone has become the main device for accessing news. However, we know little about the factors influencing mobile news consumption and how this consumption is related to political knowledge and political participation. This study investigates the antecedents of young individuals’ smartphone news consumption and how it is correlated with their knowledge about and participation in two referendums in Switzerland. We record the mobile internet usage of 309 young adults and link their digital trace data to survey data. We show that trust in news media and the use of broadcast media are positively correlated with the duration of mobile news consumption. The use of social media leads to more news source diversity. However, we find that the duration of mobile news consumption and news source diversity are not correlated with political knowledge about or participation in the referendum. As interest in politics is also positively correlated with the diversity of news sources used by individual participants, our study supports the idea that attentive audiences use a broader range of news sources to inform themselves about referendums.

Mobile Selective Exposure: Confirmation Bias and Impact of Social Cues during Mobile News Consumption in the United States

Concerns about online news consumption have proliferated, with some evidence suggesting a heightened impact of the confirmation bias and social cues online. This paper argues that mobile media may further shape selective exposure to political content. We conducted two online selective exposure experiments to investigate whether browsing political content on smartphones (vs. computers) facilitates selective exposure to attitude-consistent vs. attitude-discrepant articles (confirmation bias) with high vs. low views (impact of social cues). Notably, these studies leveraged novel random assignment techniques and a custom-designed, mobile-compatible news website. Using a student sample, Study 1 (N = 157) revealed weak evidence that the confirmation bias is stronger on smartphones than computers, and the impact of social cues was similar across devices. Study 2 (N = 156) attempted to replicate these findings in a general population sample. The impact of social cues remained similar across devices, but the confirmation bias was not stronger on smartphones than computers. Overall, the confirmation bias (but not the impact of social cues) manifested on smartphones, and neither outcome was consistently stronger on smartphones than computers.

Smartphone use and knowledge gap hypothesis: the relationship between mobile news consumption, discussion network heterogeneity, and political knowledge

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the knowledge gap hypothesis in the context of smartphone use for news to understand whether mobile news consumption could bridge or widen the knowledge gap between people of higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES).Design/methodology/approachThe authors examine how smartphone news consumption is associated with the knowledge gap hypothesis by analyzing a survey dataset from Hong Kong. This study focuses specifically on a moderated mediation model in which the indirect effect of mobile news consumption on political knowledge via discussion network heterogeneity is contingent on level of education.FindingsSmartphone use for news/information was positively associated with level of discussion network heterogeneity. The indirect effect of smartphone news use on political knowledge via discussion network heterogeneity was stronger for those with lower levels of education.Originality/valueThis study advances the understanding of the role of smartphone use in contributing to the functioning of deliberative democracy as this use enhances discussion network heterogeneity and general levels of political knowledge. Moreover, our study contributes to the literature on the knowledge gap by not only examining the relationship between smartphone use, discussion heterogeneity, and political knowledge but also taking into consideration individual levels of education.

Book Review: News in their pockets: A cross-city comparative study of mobile news consumption in Asia by Ran Wei & Ven-hwei Lo

Book Review: <i>News in their pockets: A cross-city comparative study of mobile news consumption in Asia</i> by Ran Wei &amp; Ven-hwei Lo

The Impact of Types of News on Mobile News Consumption Behavior: A Mixed-Method Research

Abstract The role of news types on people’s mobile news consumption has seldom been researched. In this study, the authors examine types of news participants consume, demographic differences, participants’ reactions to different types of news, and participants’ accounts of the impact of news types. Data were collected by conducting a diary study and follow-up interviews of university students in the USA total of 522 news items were submitted by 51 participants through a mobile diary tool. Participants’ reactions to the news were expressed through providing choices on 23 semantic differential scales. Fifteen survey respondents also participated in the follow-up interview after completing their news submissions and diary entries. Results show political and societal news were consumed most frequently. Statistically significant demographic differences and differences in participants’ evaluative and affective reactions were found. Qualitative analysis of the 15 follow-up interviews concerning news types and reading/sharing activities uncovered specific lived experiences of mobile news consumption patterns. By using a mixed-method approach, the study fills the gap and provides an enriched understanding of the relationship between news types and mobile news consumption experiences. The study also has practical implications for reporters and producers of news, and developers of news apps.

Patterns and Motivations Predicting Mobile Hard News and Soft News Consumption

The purpose of this study is to examine Emirati university students' usage of smartphones as a news resource. In addition to the motivations, patterns, and relationships between hard news and soft news consumption and the different gratifications sought, this study adopted perspectives from the both the uses and gratifications and media displacement theories and utilized a quantitative research design. Data was collected from 488 undergraduate students between February 2019 and March 2019. Results revealed that students were interested in both hard and soft news, but there was 7% more soft news consumption by students. Additionally, results revealed that smartphones have become students' main source of news as they allow them to find information easily. When assessing the relationships and dynamics between mobile news and the gratifications sought, results revealed that the convenience gratification was the only predictor of both mobile soft news and hard news out of all the gratifications offered.

Examining familial role in mobile news consumption as a sequential process

News consumption is deeply and widely situated in families. Employing role theory as theoretical framework, this study argues that users’ familial role would influence their mobile news consumption behavior through shaping their personal news interests and regulating their time budget of news viewing. We extracted data from the server log of the Sohu News mobile application, one of the most popular mobile news applications in China. We found that users with different familial roles demonstrate various sequential patterns of news consumption, as represented by various sequence length and turbulence. This study expands the theoretical horizons by integrating the traditional role theory and big user data analytics to address the mobile news consumption in China.

Confirmation Bias in the Era of Mobile News Consumption: The Social and Psychological Dimensions

Confirmation bias is the predisposition to only consume the news, or what appears to be news, that confirms our pre-existing attitudes and beliefs, e.g. anti-vaxxers reading only anti-vaccination material. This plays out, for example, in reading only the news/postings that fit our political or social leaning. It is done to avoid cognitive dissonance as well as eventual disfavor from our social network. Confirmation bias is an important element supporting the diffusion of false news via digital platforms. It is important that we understand the underlying cognitive as well as the social mechanisms and dynamics, e.g. can the news of COVID-19 disrupt or eventually further entrench the cognitive and social dynamics of anti-vaxxer individuals and groups?

Mobile but Not Mobilized? Differential Gains from Mobile News Consumption for Citizens’ Political Knowledge and Campaign Participation

Especially during election times, news is an indispensable means for citizens to make informed political decisions. The ubiquitous information access of mobile devices creates the potential for increasing news use among citizens in general and specifically during campaign time. However, little is known about the outcomes of this new way of accessing news, although research suggests that less attention and involvement are dedicated to news accessed on a mobile phone. This study therefore applies the differential gains perspective to mobile news use during the 2015 Danish national election campaign. We utilize a pre- and post-election panel survey and a smartphone-based media diary study among Danish voters (n = 1108) to test whether news app use and mobile browsing affect political knowledge and campaign participation differently than other types of campaign news exposure. Results suggest equal gains for citizens’ political knowledge, but differential gains for mobilizing effects of mobile news use.

Ephemeral Journalism: News Distribution Through Instagram Stories

Social media are increasingly integrated into media routines as channels to gain access, verify and spread information. Likewise, as mobile news consumption is standardized, the media experiment with native formats for these platforms. This study analyzes how the media use Instagram Stories, to identify the strategies that they apply, as well as the adaptation and innovation features on this platform. A content analysis was conducted from a sample of 17 online media that use Instagram Stories, both legacy and digital native. The results show an upward potential in ephemeral news production, one that is increasingly developed and unique.

Mapping the Mobile DNA of News. Understanding Incidental and Serendipitous Mobile News Consumption

Scholarly work argues that mobile technology facilitates serendipitous news consumption. This article examines how users understand serendipity in mobile news consumption and whether this leads to news diversity. Technology-mediated news encounters are argued to reduce news diversity, yet these theoretical filter bubbles cannot be found empirically. This paper investigates whether this might be explained by incidental news use. A mixed methods study (n = 20) was set-up, which involved interviews, on-device loggings and experience sampling data. Results show that incidental news differs in the level of user agency, ranging from responding to an unsolicited recommendation or alert; via monitoring, facilitated by a previous action (e.g. activated news notifications); to browsing or stumbling upon unexpected topics during news use. Incidental encounters become serendipitous when they provide new information or insights and consequently stick in one’s mind. Based on our findings, we further develop a conceptual model for (mobile) incidental news, which shows the interplay of news recommendations by peers, algorithms, and editors. Editorial recommendations result in topic diversity. Both peer and algorithmic recommendations lead to brand diversity, yet this remains unnoticed to audiences. Peer recommendations mostly do not lead to topic or viewpoint diversity, but are perceived as valuable when they do.

The Persistence of the Popular in Mobile News Consumption

As news consumption shifts from desktop to mobile devices, many journalism researchers and stakeholders wonder how this transition will impact news audience behavior. This perspective assumes that changes in where news is consumed are likely to go hand-in-hand with changes in how it is consumed. However, key aspects of media consumption tend to remain remarkably stable regardless of where that consumption takes place. Most notably, media audiences typically congregate around a small number of familiar brands, while ignoring the lesser-known options. In this study, I analyze a year’s worth of U.S.-based online news consumption data to show that the mobile platform is yet another example of how a few media firms comprise a majority of audience attention. I conclude that, when it comes to where audiences turn for news, the mobile platform is a continuation of what has come before.

University students’ mobile news consumption activities and evaluative/affective reactions to political news during election campaigns: A diary study

Smartphones have now become routinely used tools for people’s everyday life news consumption. This article presents a diary study involving 49 university students in the United States documenting their process of consuming political news via smartphones. Participants reported the information about the news and used 23 pairs of semantic differential scales to evaluate and express their affective reactions to the news. Among 176 political news items submitted, the highest proportion was election news. Significant demographic differences were found in participants’ choices of semantic adjectives. Differences were also found in proportions of election and non-election news submitted. A higher proportion of election news was marked as ‘light’, ‘stale’, ‘shallow’, ‘worthless’, ‘dishonest’ and ‘harmful’ than those labelled for non-election news. Findings provide valuable insights into university students’ political news mobile consumption activities and their assessment and sentiment surrounding election news and general political news during the 2016 US Presidential election campaign.

Mobile News Consumption

This study investigates news consumption on mobile devices with the goal of identifying where mobile devices fit into people’s media repertoires and how consumption patterns on them are different from those on other platforms. Results suggest that mobile devices are almost always used along with other platforms for getting news, that news sessions on smartphones are shorter than on other platforms, and mobile news consumption happens more times per day and is spread throughout the day. Implications for the study of news consumption, news producers, and consumers are discussed.

Mobile news consumption and political news interest: A time budget perspective

Abstract This study explores mobile news consumption from a time budget perspective. Time constraint is a major factor influencing people’s news consumption, but it has not been examined specifically in the previous studies. Because mobile media can exploit the time gaps when other media are inappropriate or inconvenient to use, they have a unique capacity to increase the available time for news consumption. Data for the empirical analysis were collected in a random sample mail survey with 253 respondents in the Midwest United States from September to November 2012. The results indicated that mobile news users have significantly longer work time and shorter disposable time (tighter time budget) than non-users; people with tight time budget are more likely to have more mobile news applications and spend more time on mobile news than are people with loose time budget; and people who are interested in political news spend more time on mobile news than do people who are not.

News on the Move

This study examines smartphones as a platform for mobile news consumption by identifying key antecedents and consequential behavioral patterns. A causal model was proposed for empirically testing the interrelationships. A sample of 719 randomly selected young adults in China, which boasts the world’s largest mobile phone population, was used in the testing the model. Findings suggest that respondents who owned a smartphone with a higher level of surveillance gratification were more likely to read mobile news and further be engaged in mobile news. That is, reading mobile news was positively related to involvement in mobile news by following a variety of digital news sources such as tweets, blogs, and bloggers. The study concludes that mobile news consumption is an engaging and participative behavior. The theoretical and social implications of the results are discussed in relation to China’s current predicament of being media-rich but information-poor.

What’s APPening to news? A mixed-method audience-centred study on mobile news consumption

News is increasingly being consumed on a multitude of media devices, including mobile devices. In recent years, mobile news consumption has permeated individuals’ news consumption repertoires. The main purpose of this study is twofold: (a) gain insight in how mobile news outlets infiltrated the broader news media repertoires of mobile device owners and (b) understand in what circumstances mobile news is consumed within these news media repertoires. The key is to understand how and why this widening agency in appropriating various places and social spaces in everyday life relates to general news media consumption (Peters, 2012). This two-phased study aims to illuminate how mobile device owners position their mobile news consumption in relation to other types of news media outlets. First, a guiding cluster analysis of a large-scale questionnaire ( N = 1279) was performed, indicating three types of news consumers. Second, in order to thicken the originally derived clusters, a mixed-method study was set up, combining objective data originating from mobile device logs with more subjective audience constructions through personal diaries and face-to-face interviews ( N = 30). This study reveals the Janus-faced nature of mobile news. On the one hand, the majority of news consumers dominantly relies on traditional media outlets to stay informed, only to supplement with online mobile services in specific circumstances. Even then, there is at least a tendency to stick to trusted brand materials. On the other hand, these mobile news outlets/products do seem to increasingly infiltrate the daily lives of mobile audiences who were previously disengaged with news.