News Dissemination Gratifies Needs for Social Media Users

Abstract

Social networking sites (SNS) are increasingly used to disseminate and consume news stories, perhaps at the expense of traditional mass media sources. This manuscript explores how receiving news from social media ``friends{''} may be changing how individuals prefer to consume and interpret news. Data gathered from 508 participants showed that ``keeping in touch,{''} ``reading posts,{''} and ``browsing{''} were top gratifications from SNS. With these possible gratifications a user who posts news stories through social media will provide an interpretive view on the news for their online ``friends{''}. Online practices are discussed how they fit within Uses and Gratifications Theory. Results showed news posted by ``friends{''} online is positively correlated with a user'spersonal social media usage and knowledge of news events. Hierarchical regression analysis used several controls withpersonality factors, social media use, and news consumption. All variables together explain 33% of the variance in news consumption. These results provide insight into how and why users are consuming more news information online.