Effects of the News‐Finds‐Me Perception in Communication: Social Media Use Implications for News Seeking and Learning About Politics |
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| Authors: | Homero Gil de Zúñiga Brian Weeks Alberto Ardèvol‐Abreu |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Media Innovation Lab, Department of Communication, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;2. Facultad de Comunicación y Letras, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile;3. Department of Communication Studies and Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109;4. Departamento de Comunicación y Trabajo Social, Universidad de La Laguna, Av. César Manrique s/n (Campus de Guadalajara), S/C de Tenerife 38071, Spain |
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| Abstract: | With social media at the forefront of today's media context, citizens may perceive they don't need to actively seek news because they will be exposed to news and remain well‐informed through their peers and social networks. We label this the “news‐finds‐me perception,” and test its implications for news seeking and political knowledge: “news‐finds‐me effects.” U.S. panel‐survey data show that individuals who perceive news will find them are less likely to use traditional news sources and are less knowledgeable about politics over time. Although the news‐finds‐me perception is positively associated with news exposure on social media, this behavior doesn't facilitate political learning. These results suggest news continues to enhance political knowledge best when actively sought. |
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| Keywords: | News‐finds‐me Perception News‐finds‐me Effect News Use Political Knowledge Social Media |
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