Open AccessEffects of the News‐Finds‐Me Perception in Communication: Social Media Use Implications for News Seeking and Learning About Politics
Author(s) -
Gil de Zúñiga Homero,
Weeks Brian,
ArdèvolAbreu Alberto
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/jcc4.12185
Subject(s) - politics , perception , news media , social media , context (archaeology) , political science , public relations , social psychology , psychology , advertising , business , law , history , neuroscience , archaeology
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.