Origin and evolution of the News Finds Me perception: Review of theory and effects

Research revolving social media and democracy has exploded. For almost two decades, scholarship has offered new theories, revisited some old ones, and provided empirical evidence that helped cast a strong light on social media effects over people’s social life, and democracy at large. Thanks to social media, citizens consume news, express their political views, discuss political matters, and participate in political activities. However, social media also cultivates the dissemination of fake news and misinformation, exposure to hate speech, media fragmentation, and political polarization. In short, social media seems to simultaneously be a springboard for encouraging and undesirable outcomes that foster and challenge democracies alike. One of these phenomena that stems from social media news use is the News Finds Me perception (NFM), which takes place when individuals feel they do not have to actively seeks news any more to be well-informed about public affairs, as they expect to receive relevant news and information by relying on their peers in social media. This article traces back the origin of the theory, its evolution, and the set of effects found in the literature. It also presents guidelines for future research and potential challenges as the scholarship centering on NFM continues to grow

Understanding News Media Viewing and Selection Patterns: FoMO and User Consumption of News Content on Social Media Interfaces

The current study employs a regional sample in order to investigate the phenomenon of fear-of-missing-out (FoMO), the awareness associated with the fear that other individuals are having a more pleasurable experience that one is not a part of. The current study uniquely examines the role that FoMO plays in viewing patterns associated with news content on social media interfaces. The 10-item scale created by Przybylski, Myrayama, DeHaan, and Gladwell in 2013 was used as a basis to discover the degree of FoMO participants experience while online, while other questions of the survey serve to collect data about participants sociodemographic\u27s, engagement with soft and hard news content, and overall social media usage. (Przybylski, Myrayama, DeHaan, Gladwell 2013). The objective is to demonstrate the influential effects that FoMO poses on media consumer viewing patterns and behaviors

Gatekeeping Practices of Participants in a Digital Media Literacy Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

abstract: Long before “fake news” dominated the conversation within and about the media, media literacy advocates have championed the need for media literacy education that provides the tools for people to understand, analyze, and evaluate media messages. That the majority of U.S. adults now consume news on social media underscores the importance for students of all ages to be critical users of media. Furthermore, the affordances of social media to like, comment, and share news items within one’s network increases an individual’s responsibility to ascertain the veracity of news before using a social media megaphone to spread false information. Social media’s shareability can dictate how information spreads, increasing news consumers’ role as a gatekeeper of information and making media literacy education more important than ever. This research examines the media literacy practices that news consumers use to inform their gatekeeping decisions. Using a constant comparative coding method, the author conducted a qualitative analysis of hundreds of discussion board posts from adult participants in a digital media literacy Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to identify major themes and examine growth in participants’ sense of responsibility related to sharing news information, their feeling of empowerment to make informed decisions about the media messages they receive, and how the media literacy tools and techniques garnered from the MOOC have affected their daily media interactions. Findings emphasize the personal and contextual nature of media literacy, and that those factors must be addressed to ensure the success of a media literacy education program.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Journalism and Mass Communication 201

Frequencies, Drivers, and Solutions to News Non-Attendance: Investigating Differences Between Low News Usage and News (Topic) Avoidance with Conversational Agents

Low levels of news seeking can be problematic for an informed citizenry. Previous research has discussed different types of news non-attendance but conceptual ambiguities between low news usage, general news avoidance, and news topic avoidance still exist. By using a longitudinal design conducted with a chatbot survey among Dutch users (n = 189), this study provides first empirical evidence that helps clarify conceptual differences. First, it estimates the prevalence of these different types of news non-attendance. Second, it tests to what extend cognitive restrictions, quality assessments, and personal relevance are relevant predictors in explaining engagement in three types of non-attendance to news. Third, the study investigates how news usage behaviors (e.g., news curation, news snacking, and verification engagement) may serve as potential user-driven counter strategies against news avoidance. We find evidence for the conceptual differences. Only small shares of news non-attendance are explained by avoidance motivations. Especially news curation and verification engagement can mitigate common drivers of news avoidance, while news snacking reinforces them

Who’s Following Twitter? Coverage of the Microblogging Phenomenon by U.S. Cable News Networks

Through data captured in a digital content analysis (DCA) lab, we examine coverage of Twitter across three 24-hour U.S. cable news channels: CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. This investigation tracked Twitter coverage from its initial stage, followed by its rise to a massively used tool and its subsequent diffusion into society, evident through its plateauing coverage. News stories covering Twitter, as it penetrated into society, were more likely to use benefit/gain frames when discussing the technology, highlighting its positive social, communicative, political, and participatory impact. Benefit frames were also likely to associate Twitter with journalism. Patterns emerging through the indicator graphs plotted by the DCA lab showed that the most intense coverage occurred during crisis situations, as Twitter coverage reached saturation, followed by increased personal daily usage of Twitter

Cultivating criticisms : how journalism students critique the news

Scholars note the importance of press criticism to the journalism-democracy framework, yet press criticism is underdeveloped as an academic pursuit. This study seeks to develop the study of press criticism by examining press criticism using focus groups as a simulated public sphere. Using Wyatt's (2007) normative theory of press criticism, the design allowed for press criticisms to occur in a deliberative setting. The method and theory offer a neat fit, because the theory proposes a discursive model for the press and press criticism. Journalism students were used due to their dual role as students and not-yet-deeply-institutionalized practitioners. Students critiqued the press with specificity, accuracy, and thoughtfulness. The research calls scholarship on press criticism more directly back to Wyatt's (2007) normative theory and encourages more research on press criticism using the deliberative method.Includes bibliographical references

Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of the central concepts in a textbook that examines the role of media in the political sphere in comparative perspective. The book has a particular focus on media models, theories of news production, the journalistic profession as well as the performance of the media in elections, war, terrorism and on line. The book focuses on the media and journalists in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation

“Going offline”:Social media, source verification, and Chinese investigative journalism during “information overload"

Based on interviews with 25 investigative journalists in Beijing, China, this study suggests digital journalists may be increasingly challenged by a sense of “information overload” as they navigate social media and online environments crowded with dis- and mis-information, fake profiles and sources, and massive amounts of opinion journalism that is presented as professional journalism. This overload has reinforced Chinese investigative journalists’ dedication to a conventional form of verification: meeting face-to-face with sources. This study contributes to scholarship on Chinese journalism by expanding knowledge about investigative journalists in the country and by complicating understandings of how journalists there work in an age of social media, disinformation, and increased interests in verification

Notícias falsas: onde jornalistas e público se encontram (e onde não)

This article gives voice to two protagonists of the disinformation phenomenon: audiences and journalists. A two-objective comparative analysis is presented: on the one hand, to explore the audiences’ role in stimulating the disinformation phenomenon in Costa Rica and characterize the reception dynamics and interaction that they establish with fake news within the country; on the other hand, to give journalists a voice to compare and contrast their perceptions with their audiences’ perceptions. A qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews with a small and non-representative sample of Costa Rican journalists holding leadership positions at some of the country’s most important media outlets was used. Also, six discussion groups with audiences were held. This article performs a comparative analysis of what journalists and participating audiences think about the disinformation phenomenon, the term “fake news,” the responsibilities in the fight against this problem and the possible solutions. The results suggest that, according to journalists, misinformative content circulates on social media and does not come from the traditional media they represent. In contrast, audiences present an antagonistic position since they tend to associate disinformation with the traditional media. However, they also consider traditional media as a source of verification of false content circulating on social media.Este artículo les da voz a dos protagonistas del fenómeno de la desinformación: las audiencias y los periodistas. Se presenta un análisis comparativo que tiene dos objetivos: por un lado, explorar el papel de las audiencias en la dinamización del fenómeno de la desinformación en Costa Rica y caracterizar las dinámicas que las mismas establecen con las noticias falsas que se difunden en el país y, por otro lado, darles voz a periodistas para contraponer y comparar sus percepciones con las de sus audiencias. Se aplicó una metodología cualitativa basada en entrevistas semiestructuradas a una muestra pequeña y no representativa de periodistas costarricenses en puestos de mando de algunos de los principales medios del país y se realizaron seis grupos de discusión con audiencias. El artículo hace un análisis comparativo sobre lo que piensan los profesionales en periodismo y las audiencias participantes sobre el fenómeno de la desinformación, la idea de noticias falsas, las responsabilidades en la lucha contra esta problemática y cuáles soluciones ven viables. Los resultados sugieren que, para los periodistas, los contenidos desinformativos son los que circulan en redes sociales y no son contenidos de los medios tradicionales que representan; en cambio, en las audiencias se evidencia una postura antagónica, pues, por un lado, tienden a asociar la desinformación con la labor de los medios tradicionales; no obstante, por otro lado, también los mencionan como fuente de verificación frente a los contenidos falsos que circulan en redes sociales.Este artigo dá voz a dois protagonistas do fenômeno da desinformação: audiências e jornalistas. Apresenta-se uma análise comparativa a partir de dois objetivos: primeiro, explorar o papel do público no estímulo ao fenômeno da desinformação na Costa Rica e caracterizar a dinâmica de recepção e interação estabelecidas através das notícias falsas no país; segundo, possibilitar, aos jornalistas, uma voz que compare e contraste as percepções deles e do público. Dessa forma, foi aplicada uma metodologia qualitativa, a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas com jornalistas em cargos de chefia de alguns dos principais meios de comunicação do país. Também foram realizados grupos de discussão com o público. Em vista disso, recuperamos o que jornalistas e público participantes pensam sobre o fenômeno da desinformação, o termo “notícias falsas”, as responsabilidades no combate a ese problema e as possíveis soluções. Os resultados sugerem que, para os jornalistas, o conteúdo desinformativo é aquele que circula nas redes sociais e não provém dos meios de comunicação hegemônicos que representam. Por outro lado, as audiências apresentam uma posição antagônica, pois tendem a associar a desinformação com os meios de comunicação tradicionais. No entanto, eles também mencionam a mídia tradicional como uma fonte de verificação contra o conteúdo falso que circula nas redes sociais