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Article
Consumption and Dependency of Social Network Sites as a News Medium: A Comparison between College Students and General Population
Journal of Communication and Media Research
  • Louisa Ha, Bowling Green State University
  • Kisung Yoon, Bowling Green State University
  • Xiaoqun Zhang, Bowling Green State University
Document Type
Article
Abstract

This exploratory study investigates social network sites (SNS) users’ time allocation behavior among various traditional and new media. Specifically, it examines the difference in degree of dependency on SNS between the young generation and the general population as a new form of news medium based on the media system dependency (MSD) and the microeconomic consumption (MEC) theories. The research results reveal that SNS, along with other online media, such as online audio/video news, are the preferred news sources for young people and they are more likely to be interested in soft news than hard news. SNS has become online users’ news portal and is closely related to their other online and user-generated content media use. The significant difference in news media use between the general population and college students also illustrates the importance of choosing the sample in studying SNS and media use.

Publication Date
4-1-2013
Citation Information
Louisa Ha, Kisung Yoon and Xiaoqun Zhang. "Consumption and Dependency of Social Network Sites as a News Medium: A Comparison between College Students and General Population" Journal of Communication and Media Research (2013) p. 1 - 14
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/louisa_ha/9/