International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication

The Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication (한국인터넷방송통신학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

News Avoidance during the COVID-19 Pandemic : Focusing on China News Users

  • LIYALIN (Department of Media and Communication, Korea University)
  • Received : 2024.03.06
  • Accepted : 2024.03.20
  • Published : 2024.05.31
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Today, news avoidance has become an inevitable trend, particularly exacerbated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. To delve deeper into the shifting tendencies of news consumers towards news avoidance and unveil the motivations behind this avoidance, this study recruited 500 Chinese news consumers aged between 20 and 60 years old, employing survey questionnaires as the research method. Through an indepth examination of their news consumption behavior at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we discovered that individuals' risk perceptions and efficacy beliefs significantly influence their patterns of news consumption. Furthermore, we identified negative emotions, information overload, and media distrust as the primary reasons for news avoidance among Chinese news consumers during the COVID-19 crisis. These findings Not only provide crucial insights into understanding the dynamics of news consumption behavior but also offer valuable reference points for the news industry to better fulfill its role and value during crises in the future.

Keywords

References

  1. M.J. Dutta-Bergman, "Complementarity in Consumption of News Types Across Traditional and New Media," Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 41-60, 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15506878jobem4801_3
  2. L. Stromback and D. Sceulovs, "The Impact on Audience Media Brand Choice Using Media Brands Uniqueness Phenomenon," Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 128, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc8030128.
  3. B. Toff and R.K. Nielsen, "How News Feels: Anticipated Anxiety as a Factor in News Avoidance and a Barrier to Political Engagement," Political Communication, Vol. 39, No. 6, pp. 697-714, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2022.2123073
  4. M. Skovsgaard and K. Andersen, "Conceptualizing News Avoidance: Towards a Shared Understanding of Different Causes and Potential Solutions," Journalism Studies, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 459-476, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1686410.
  5. S.G. Chae, "A Survey on the Use of Mobile Phones Due to COVID-19," International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 233-243, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7236/IJIBC.2020.12.3.233.
  6. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, "News Avoidance in the UK Remains High as Lockdown Restrictions Are Eased," 2020. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news-avoidance-uk-remains-high-lockdown-restrictions-are-eased.
  7. K. de Bruin, Y. de Haan, R. Vliegenthart, S. Kruikemeier, and M. Boukes, "News Avoidance During the COVID-19 Crisis: Understanding Information Overload," Digital Journalism, Vol. 9, No. 9, pp. 1286-1302, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1957967
  8. Y. Sun, "The Function and Significance of News Communication from the Perspective of Epidemic Prevention and Control," in 6th International Conference on Social Science and Higher Education ( ICSSHE 2020 ), pp. 581-584, Nov. 27-29, 2020. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201214.110.
  9. R. Karlsen, A. Beyer, and K. Steen-Johnsen, "Do High-Choice Media Environments Facilitate News Avoidance? A Longitudinal Study 1997-2016," Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 64, No. 5, pp. 794-814, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2020.1835428.
  10. L. C. Gorski, "Uninterested, Disenchanted, or Overwhelmed? An Analysis of Motives Behind Intentional and Unintentional News Avoidance," Communications, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 563-587, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2021-0084.
  11. B. Nordenson, "Overload! Journalism's battle for relevance in an age of too much information," Columbia Journalism Review. Vol. 47, No. 4, 2008, pp. 30-42, 2008.
  12. M. Prior, "News vs. Entertainment: How increasing media choice widens gaps in political knowledge and turnout," American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 577-592, 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00143.x
  13. K. Thorson, K. Cotter, M. Medeiros, and C. Pak, "Algorithmic Inference, Political Interest, and Exposure to News and Politics on Facebook," Information, Communication & Society, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 183-200, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1642934.
  14. C. Reinemann, J. Stanyer, S. Scherr, and G. Legnante, "Hard and Soft News: A Review of Concepts, Operationalizations, and Key Findings," Journalism, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 221-239, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884911427803.
  15. M. Gambaro, V. Larcinese, R. Puglisi, and J.M. Snyder Jr., "The Revealed Demand for Hard vs. Soft News: Evidence from Italian TV Viewership," National Bureau of EcoNomic Research, No. w29020, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3386/w29020.
  16. R. Nielsen, A. Kalogeropoulos, and R. Fletcher, "UK public opinion polarised on news coverage of government coronavirus response, and concern over misinformation," 2020.
  17. A. Kalogeropoulos, R. Fletcher, and R.K. Nielsen, "Initial Surge in News Use Around Coronavirus in the UK Has Been Followed by Significant Increase in News Avoidance," Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2020. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/initial-surge-news-use-aroundcoronavirus-uk-has-been-followed-significant-increase-newsavoidance#:~:text=After%20an%20initial%20surge%20in,%25%20in%20mid%2DApril.
  18. N. Newman, "Executive Summary and Key Findings of the 2020 Report," Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020, Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2020. https://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2020/overview-key-findings-2020/.
  19. A. Kalogeropoulos, B. Toff, and R. Fletcher, "The Watchdog Press in the Doghouse: A Comparative Study of Attitudes About Accountability Journalism, Trust in News, and News Avoidance," The International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 19401612221112572, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612221112572.
  20. R. Schafer, L. Aaldering, and S. Lecheler, "Give Me a Break! Prevalence and Predictors of Intentional News Avoidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Mass Communication and Society, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 671-694, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2022.2125406.
  21. Wojcieszak and R.K. Garrett, "Social Identity, Selective Exposure, and Affective Polarization: How Priming National Identity Shapes Attitudes Toward Immigrants via News Selection," Human Communication Research, Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 247-273, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqx010.
  22. L. Woodstock, "The News-Democracy Narrative and the Unexpected Benefits of Limited News Consumption: The Case of News Resisters," Journalism, Vol. 15, No. 7, pp. 834-849, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884913504260.
  23. C. Shreve, M. Begg, A.Fordham and Muller, "Operationalizing risk perception and preparedness behavior research for a multi-hazard context," Environ. Hazards Vol. 15, No. 3, 2016 , pp. 227-245, DIO:https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2016.1176887.
  24. I.A. Rana, A. Jamshed, Z.I. Younas, and S.S. Bhatti, "Characterizing flood risk perception in urban communities of Pakistan," Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. Vol. 46, 2020, p. 101624. DIO: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101624
  25. M.A. Chisty, M.A. Islam, A.T. Munia, M.M. Rahman, N.N. Rahman, and M. Mohima, "Risk Perception and Information-Seeking Behavior During Emergency: An Exploratory Study on COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh," International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Vol. 65, 102580, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102580.
  26. Sulinlin. A Study on the Avoidance Behavior of Political Journalism and Its Influencing Factors , Master. Thesis. University of Electronic Science and TechNology of China, 2021.
  27. A.E. Holton and H.I. Chyi, "News and the Overloaded Consumer: Factors Influencing Information Overload Among News Consumers," Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw, Vol. 15, No. 11, pp. 619-624, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2011.0610.
  28. G. Meng, Q. Li, X. Yuan, Y. Zheng, K. Hu, B. Dai, and X. Liu, "The Roles of Risk Perception, Negative Emotions and Perceived Efficacy in the Association Between COVID-19 Infection Cues and Preventive Behaviors: A Moderated Mediation Model," BMC Public Health, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 109, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14870-7
  29. M. Villi, T. Aharoni, K. Tenenboim-Weinblatt, P.J. Boczkowski, K. Hayashi, E. Mitchelstein, A. Tanaka, and N. Kligler-Vilenchik, "Taking a Break from News: A Five-Nation Study of News Avoidance in the Digital Era," Digital Journalism, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 148-164, 2022. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1904266.