The Modern News Consumer --News attitudes and practices in the digital era
By Amy Mitchell, Jeffrey Gottfried, Michael Barthel and Elisa Shearer
Wave after wave of digital innovation has introduced a new set of
influences on the public’s news habits. Social media, messaging apps,
texts and email provide a constant stream of news from people we’re
close to as well as total strangers. News stories can now come
piecemeal, as links or shares, putting less emphasis on the publisher.
And, hyper levels of immediacy and mobility can create an expectation
that the news will come to us whether we look for it or not. How have
these influences shaped Americans’ appetite for and attitudes toward the
news? What, in other words, are the defining traits of the modern news
consumer?
A new, two-part survey by Pew Research Center, conducted in early
2016 in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,
reveals a public that is cautious as it moves into this more complex
news environment and discerning in its evaluation of available news
sources.
To be sure, news remains an important part of public life. More than
seven-in-ten U.S. adults follow national and local news somewhat or very
closely – 65% follow international news with the same regularity. Fully
81% of Americans get at least some of this news through websites, apps
or social networking sites. And, this digital news intake is
increasingly mobile. Among those who get news both on desktop computers
and mobile devices, more than half prefer mobile.
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