Media System Dependency During Health Crises: The Impact of Traditional and New Media Technology on Knowledge and Protective Behaviors

Abstract

Media system dependency theory posits that during times of crisis, individuals are more dependent on mass media for information, leading to attitudinal and behavioral change. The outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of a global crisis within a new media context dominated by social and digital media. Using a cross-sectional survey administered in the United States at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study found support for media dependency's impact on knowledge and engagement in protective behaviors. Television news was the strongest positive predictor, while radio dependency was found to have a negative impact, and social media dependency had none.