Multi-Platform News Use and Political Participation Across Age Groups: Toward a Valid Metric of Platform Diversity and Its Effects

Trevor Diehl, Matthew Barnidge, Homero Gil de Zúñiga

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

News consumption in today’s media environment is increasingly characterized by reliance on multiple platforms: People now get their news from the web, television, radio, and various social media. Employing a nationally representative survey from the United States, this study develops an index of multi-platform news use. The index is validated by testing age group differences in the way people participate in politics. Results show that Millennials are more likely to rely on multiple platforms for news. Multi-platform news is also positively related to alternative modes of political engagement. Results are discussed in light of generational shifts in political behavior.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)428-451
Number of pages24
JournalJournalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
Volume96
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2019

Keywords

  • age group differences
  • hybrid media
  • multi-platform news
  • news use
  • political engagement
  • political participation
  • social media

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