A Study of a Sample of Facebook Users Finds They Do Not Seek Political News through Facebook But Are Exposed to Political News through This Medium

Elizabeth Margaret Stovold

doi:10.18438/eblip29384

A Study of a Sample of Facebook Users Finds They Do Not Seek Political News through Facebook But Are Exposed to Political News through This Medium

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice ◽

10.18438/eblip29384 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 36-38

Author(s):

Elizabeth Margaret Stovold

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Online News ◽

Social Utility ◽

Future Research ◽

Political News ◽

High School Degree ◽

News Sources ◽

News Source ◽

Tv News ◽

The Mean

A Review of: Schaferm, S., Sulflow, M., & Muller, P. (2017). The special taste of snack news: an application of niche theory to understand the appeal of Facebook as a source for political news. First Monday, 22(4-3). http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v22i4.7431 Abstract Objective – To investigate Facebook as a source of exposure to political news stories and to compare the reasons for using Facebook as a news source and the gratifications obtained, compared with other news sources. Design – Survey questionnaire. Setting – Facebook. Subjects – 422 German Facebook users. Methods – An online survey was developed to investigate the use of Facebook as a news source compared with other sources. Specific research questions were informed by the ‘theory of niche’ (Dimmick, 2003) which examines the coexistence and competition between different media outlets by examining the breadth, overlap and superiority of one platform over another. The survey was distributed using a ‘snowball’ technique between July and August 2015. The survey was shared by 52 student research assistants on their Facebook profiles. They asked their friends to complete the survey and share it with their own networks. Main results – The mean (M) age of the 422 respondents was 23.5 years (SD=8.25). The majority were female (61%) with a high school degree (89%). TV news and news websites were the most frequently used sources of political news. Facebook ranked third, ahead of newspapers, search engines, magazines, email provider websites, and Twitter. The mean score for the importance of Facebook as a news sources was 2.46 (SD=1.13) on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is low and 5 is high. This fell in the middle of the range when compared with the top ranked source assessed by importance (TV news, M 4.40, SD=0.88) and the lowest (email providers, M 1.92, SD=0.97). Users rarely visited Facebook with the purpose of finding news (M 1.59, SD=0.73). However, they estimated around 24% of the posts they see were concerned with political news, and when encountered, these stories are frequently read (M 3.53, SD=1.18). However, the level of interaction as measured by liking, commenting, sharing or status updates was low (M 1.94 SD=1.09; M 1.37, SD=0.79; M 1.51, SD=0.85 and M 1.4, SD=0.78 respectively). The ‘gratification’ categories where Facebook as a news source scored the highest were for killing time (M 2.97, SD=1.29), entertainment (M 2.92, SD=1.05), and surveillance (M 2.77, SD=1.01). When compared to newspapers and TV news, it was found that Facebook has a lower score for niche breadth, meaning that it serves a specific rather than general news function. Facebook also had a lower overlap score when compared with the other media, thereby performing a complementary function, while TV news and newspapers perform similarly. TV news scored better for providing balanced information, surveillance and social utility while Facebook scored highest for killing time. There was no difference in the category of entertainment. There was a similar picture when comparing Facebook with newspapers. Conclusion – The authors conclude that while users do not actively seek political news through Facebook, they are exposed to political news through this medium. Respondents did not consider the news to be well balanced, and that currently Facebooks’ niche is restricted to entertainment and killing time. The authors note that this may be disappointing for news organisations, but there is potential to expose large audiences to political news when they are not actively seeking it. The findings represent a specific time point in a changing landscape and future research will need to take these changes into account. Comparisons with other online news sources and the use of objective measures to validate self-reported data would be valuable areas for future research.

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The special taste of snack news: An application of niche theory to understand the appeal of Facebook as a news source

First Monday ◽

10.5210/fm.v22i4.7431 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Svenja Schäfer ◽

Michael Sülflow ◽

Philipp Müller

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Television News ◽

Political Information ◽

Social Utility ◽

Niche Theory ◽

Political News ◽

News Content ◽

Internet Users ◽

News Source ◽

Balanced Information

Facebook has become an important source for political information since news posts are an essential part of the content that is shared and spread within the SNS. The present study applies the uses and gratifications approach and the theory of the niche to understand the specific appeal of Facebook as a source for political news. We compare the gratifications obtained from political Facebook news with those of political television news and newspapers. For this purpose, we conducted an online survey of Internet users (N=422). Results show that users hardly ever visit Facebook with the primary intention to find political information. Interestingly however, they estimate that about a quarter of the posts they receive contains political information. The most important dimension of gratifications obtained from political Facebook news content are “entertainment” and “killing time”. In these dimensions, Facebook is superior to political television news and newspapers. For “balanced information”, “surveillance”, and “social utility”, the two traditional sources outperform Facebook. Analyses of niche breadth and overlap demonstrate that Facebook has a comparatively narrow niche and a low overlap with the two traditional news outlets. This means that political news content on Facebook serves a very specific function which is complementary to other sources. Users mainly turn to political news posts on Facebook for reasons related to distraction. However, their value can be seen in the fact that users might this way get in touch with political news that they otherwise might not have been exposed to at all.

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Top Two News Words (By Hour)

Media-N ◽

10.21900/j.median.v13i1.9 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rick Valentin

Keyword(s):

Online News ◽

Simple Concept ◽

News Sources ◽

News Source ◽

Online Archive ◽

Continuous Sheet ◽

Are people incidentally exposed to news on social media? A comparative analysis

New Media & Society ◽

10.1177/1461444817724170 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 2450-2468 ◽

Cited By ~ 140

Author(s):

Richard Fletcher ◽

Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Social Media ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Survey Data ◽

Online Survey ◽

Online News ◽

News Sources ◽

Incidental Exposure ◽

Media Environments

Scholars have questioned the potential for incidental exposure in high-choice media environments. We use online survey data to examine incidental exposure to news on social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) in four countries (Italy, Australia, United Kingdom, United States). Leaving aside those who say they intentionally use social media for news, we compare the number of online news sources used by social media users who do not see it as a news platform, but may come across news while using it (the incidentally exposed), with people who do not use social media at all (non-users). We find that (a) the incidentally exposed users use significantly more online news sources than non-users, (b) the effect of incidental exposure is stronger for younger people and those with low interest in news and (c) stronger for users of YouTube and Twitter than for users of Facebook.

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From the Deeming Rule to JUUL—US News Coverage of Electronic Cigarettes, 2015–2018

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntaa025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (10) ◽

pp. 1816-1822 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Olivia A Wackowski ◽

Jennah M Sontag ◽

Binu Singh ◽

Jessica King ◽

M Jane Lewis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

News Media ◽

Electronic Cigarettes ◽

News Coverage ◽

High Volume ◽

The United States ◽

Online News ◽

Future Research ◽

The Public ◽

News Sources ◽

Over Time

Abstract Introduction News media may influence public perceptions and attitudes about electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), which may influence product use and attitudes about their regulation. The purpose of this study is to describe trends in US news coverage of e-cigarettes during a period of evolving regulation, science, and trends in the use of e-cigarettes. Methods We conducted a content analysis of e-cigarette topics and themes covered in US news articles from 2015 to 2018. Online news databases (Access World News, Factiva) were used to obtain US news articles from the top 34 circulating newspapers, four national wire services, and five leading online news sources. Results The number of articles increased by 75.4% between 2015 and 2018 (n = 1609). Most articles focused on policy/regulation (43.5%) as a main topic, followed by health effects (22.3%) and prevalence/trends (17.9%). Discussion about flavor bans quadrupled (6.1% to 24.6%) and discussion of youth e-cigarette use was most prevalent (58.4%) in 2018, coinciding with an increase in coverage about JUUL. JUUL was mentioned in 50.8% of 2018 articles. Across years, articles more frequently mentioned e-cigarette risks (70%) than potential benefits (37.3%). Conclusions E-cigarettes continue to be a newsworthy topic, with coverage both reflecting numerous changes and events over time, and providing repeated opportunities for informing the public and policymakers about these novel products. Future research should continue to track how discourse changes over time and assess its potential influence on e-cigarette perceptions and policy changes. Implications E-cigarette news coverage in the United States increased between 2015 and 2018 and predominantly focused on policy and regulation. Notable spikes in volume were associated with some but not all major e-cigarette events, including the FDA’s deeming rule, Surgeon General’s report, and release of the National Youth Tobacco Survey data in 2018. Coverage of the 2018 National Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Sciences report on the Public Health Consequences of E-cigarettes received minimal news coverage. The high volume in 2018 was driven in large part by coverage of the e-cigarette brand JUUL; over half of news articles in 2018 referenced JUUL specifically.

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The effect of news consumption on fake news efficacy

Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies ◽

10.1386/ajms_00041_1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sylvia Chan-Olmsted ◽

Yufan Sunny Qin

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Online Survey ◽

Fake News ◽

Mainstream Media ◽

News Consumption ◽

News Sources ◽

News Source ◽

Perceived Effects ◽

Use Of Social Media

The increasing use of social media has led to the growing reliance of social media as a news source. The viral nature of social platforms inevitably elevates the viral impact of fake news. As both academia and practitioners touted media literacy as a means of combating fake news or misinformation, little is known about the nature of relevant efficacies. Existent literature points to the plausible contribution of media consumption, self-efficacy of fake news and perceived impact of fake news in this process. Therefore, this study explored the relationship between consumers’ news consumption, such as fake news experiences/perceptions, news sources and news consumption motives; and fake news perceptions like self-efficacy and impacts. This study conducted an online survey to examine the proposed hypotheses and research questions. The findings suggest that consumers’ previous experiences and consumption motives are connected with their perceived effects and efficacy of fake news. In addition, different news sources (i.e. mainstream media and social media) exert diverse effects on fake news self-efficacy.

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The effects of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on the adoption of consumer eWOM information

Independent Journal of Management & Production ◽

10.14807/ijmp.v11i6.1152 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1760 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Phuong Viet Le-Hoang

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Word Of Mouth ◽

Electronic Word Of Mouth ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Female Consumers ◽

News Sources ◽

Consumer Expertise ◽

Internet Users ◽

News Source

The purpose of this research is to explore and test the effect of electronic Word-of-mouth (eWOM) on the adoption of consumer eWOM information. Through the credibility variables of the eWOM, namely the trust of the eWOM news source, the quantity of eWOM, the quality of eWOM and consumer expertise in the case of female consumers when buying cosmetics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. To achieve this goal, the author does conduct research by submitting an online survey questionnaire and obtained 200 valid questionnaires. The online questionnaire has targeted internet users, who have previously purchased online and read reviews online received from the provider's website. The result from Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) shows that consumer expertise has the most significant effect on consumer adoption of eWOM information while the number of eWOM has the least impact. Besides, the credibility of eWOM news sources and the quality of eWOM also indirectly affect the adoption of eWOM information. What is more, the study suggests some recommendations to cosmetic businesses so that they develop applications or websites where assessments and quality of information are relevant, and the current expertise of consumers is increasingly present.

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What Determine Indonesian Commercial News TV Channels' Political News Production and Publication in the Post-Soeharto Regime

Advances in Wireless Technologies and Telecommunication - Handbook of Research on the Political Economy of Communications and Media ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-3270-6.ch008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 134-160

Author(s):

Nyarwi Ahmad

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

News Production ◽

Political News ◽

Mainstream Media ◽

News Sources ◽

Government Ideology ◽

Production Models ◽

Depth Interview ◽

Systemic Factors ◽

The Media

This work focuses on structural-systemic factors that have been determining Indonesian commercial news TV Channels' political news production and publication in the Post-Soeharto Regime. A critical political economy perspective of the media and the media behaviours, performance, and content production models were adopted. Articles published in qualified journals, theses and reports released by Indonesian mainstream media related with such issue and in-depth interview derived from five senior editors/journalists of Indonesian commercial news TV channels and interview data collected from Indonesian journalists through online survey were extracted using the qualitative content and thematic analyses. The findings indicate that the following factors systematically determined political news production and publications organized by such private news TV channels. These factors include cartelised political system, party cartelisation, oligarchic media ownership, Pancasila (the Five Principles) as a unitary Indonesian state and government ideology, types and personal characters of the news sources, and religious violence groups.

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Nudge Effect of Fact-Check Alerts: Source Influence and Media Skepticism on Sharing of News Misinformation in Social Media

Social Media + Society ◽

10.1177/2056305119897322 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 205630511989732 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elmie Nekmat

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Online News ◽

Mainstream Media ◽

News Sources ◽

News Source ◽

Issue Involvement ◽

Fact Checking ◽

News Sharing ◽

Practical Implications ◽

Individual Issue

This study extends the nudge principle with media effects and credibility evaluation perspectives to examine whether the effectiveness of fact-check alerts to deter news sharing on social media is moderated by news source and whether this moderation is conditional upon users’ skepticism of mainstream media. Results from a 2 (nudge: fact-check alert vs. no alert) × 2 (news source: legacy mainstream vs. unfamiliar non-mainstream) ( N = 929) experiment controlling for individual issue involvement, online news involvement, and news sharing experience revealed significant main and interaction effects from both factors. News sharing likelihood was overall lower for non-mainstream news than mainstream news, but showed a greater decrease for mainstream news when nudged. No conditional moderation from media skepticism was found; instead, users’ skepticism of mainstream media amplified the nudge effect only for news from legacy mainstream media and not unfamiliar non-mainstream source. Theoretical and practical implications on the use of fact-checking and mainstream news sources in social media are discussed.

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Mapping Credibility Scale of Sources of Political News Stories Through Perception Lenses of Pakistani Youth: Analysis of Governmental vs. Non-Governmental and Conflicting Political News Sources

ISSUE1 - Journal of Peace, Development & Communication ◽

10.36968/jpdc-v04-i02-17 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 04 (02) ◽

pp. 315-334

Author(s):

Dr. Muhammad Makkey Bhutta ◽

Manan Khan Tareen ◽

Hannan Khan Tareen

Keyword(s):

New Media ◽

Survey Method ◽

Live Streaming ◽

Political News ◽

Mainstream Media ◽

News Stories ◽

News Sources ◽

Education Commission ◽

Tv News ◽

News Credibility

Research was designed to evaluate the credibility perception of youth regarding different mainstream and new media sources of political news. This study adopted questionnaire survey method as a research design of the study. The sample was drawn using probability proportional to size (PPS) and random sampling techniques. For the purpose of investigation, 375 respondents from Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan’s approved universities/degree awarding institutions (DAIs) were selected for the purpose of data collection. The findings of the study revealed that in case the respondents are encountered with the conflicting version of political news stories, they considered traditional TV news channels and newspapers as first and second most credible political news sources respectively. Additionally, it was also found that the majority of the youth perceived live streaming of traditional TV news channels and news websites that are associated with the mainstream news sources (traditional TV news channels and newspapers) as first and second most credible online sources of political news respectively. Additionally, this research also found that the majority of the respondents considered non-governmental sources of political news as most credible. Overall, the study concluded that the respondents still perceived traditionally delivered political news as highly credible sources of political news. Key Words: Media Credibility, Political News, Credibility Perception, Mainstream Media, New Media.

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Consensus building on trust in government

The Agenda Setting Journal ◽

10.1075/asj.18011.mac ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 165-185

Author(s):

Vanessa De Macedo Higgins Joyce ◽

Zahra Khani

Keyword(s):

Digital Media ◽

News Media ◽

Online Survey ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Online News ◽

Consensus Building ◽

Trust In Government ◽

Tv News ◽

Societal Level

Abstract This study contrasts the effects of news media to those of neighborhood in building consensus regarding trust in government. Consensus building is a consequence of agenda setting at a societal level. It conducts a secondary data analysis from an online survey with a panel of 983 older Texans from November/December 2015. We found significant correlation between trust and following the news, accessing TV news, using digital media, online news and newspapers. We found that news media in general and online news increased consensus both within education and location; radio and television increased consensus for education and digital media for income. Our spatial auto-correlation test found a minimal tendency of similar values of trust to be clustered. We cannot infer that neighborhood contributes in the formation of trust. We found evidence, in a case study of older Texans, that the news media may bring us closer together than next-door neighbors

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