Youth, Status and Connections. Explanation of the Incidental Consumption of News in Social Networks
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Abstract
Incidental access to information has been one of the typical modes of the information repertoire of citizens in modern societies. In recent years, this type of access to current content ceased to be peripheral and secondary to become central and primary, especially for younger and connected users. Most of the research on this phenomenon has focused on the consequences of incidental access to information for current learning, agenda setting and political participation, but not on the causes underlying the increase in this practice. To correct this failure, in this research we analyze the factors that explain the incidental consumption of news through social networks. Based on a household survey in Buenos Aires, Argentina (N = 700), we found that there are three types of characteristics linked to this practice: first, the youngest respondents with the highest socioeconomic status are the most likely to exercise it; second, incidental access to information is related to the constant connection to the internet, made possible by ubiquitous and portable devices ("smart" cell phones), and third, the use of internet sites and the link with other people as sources of information suggest that the structure of online content enhances the interactions between sites and networks, and facilitates the social exchange of information. Based on these findings, we reflect on the media repertoires of news consumers, the relationship with information technologies and the role of news as a social currency.
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References
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