Incidental News: How Young People Consume News on Social Media

Prof. Pablo Boczkowski, Northwestern University

12:15-13:45, 27.12.16

Terrace building, room 4026

Abstract:

In this presentation I will share results of an ongoing, mixed methods study of how people ages 18-29 consume the news on social media. The study shows that the ideal-typical mode in which young people consume news on social media can be characterized with the notion of "incidental news." Although incidental learning of news has long existed, it had been a secondary mode of information acquisition, not the predominant one. I will draw on the basis of these findings to reflect on current dynamics at the nexus of media, technology and politics that have become central to contemporary societies.