Nadia Mentzel | News Engagement via Social Media and the Informed Citizen

Social media have increasingly become primary sources for news consumption, particularly among younger adults (18-35). At the same time, journalists try, often in vain, to attract people to their websites or apps for the full range of news coverage. Besides, news organizations have become gatekeepers of their websites, sometimes prioritizing social media logic over the traditional journalistic rationale. One can assume that news on social media at large might not be an accurate reflection of the scope and depth of general news reporting. This may be even more true for highly personalized social media feeds, in which news has become a by-product. The question arises of how informed those who rely exclusively on social media for news are. Yet, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of what ‘being informed’ means. In addition, how much and what kind of news people encounter in their social media feeds and what these news habits mean for the scope and depth of informedness of these citizens remain unclear. To bridge these gaps, my aim is to get a grip on the concept ‘informedness’, to deepen insights into the news practices of (young) cohorts who consume news merely via social media, and to contribute to the understanding of the informedness of these groups. The preliminary main research question is: What does exclusive news consumption via social media mean for the informedness of young adults (18-35 years)?