A Click Away: News Choice On the Internet.

Abstract

This dissertation examines the technological shifts that influence the dynamics of information consumption and their implications for democratic citizenship. I focus on two factors that drive selective news exposure: attitude consistency and personal issue importance. First, by drawing from the research on selective exposure, I investigate how people seek out and avoid news messages based on their predispositions. To increase the generalizability of research findings, both political and science news stories are considered. In addition, I explore how multitasking activities influence selective exposure. Behavior tracking software is used to observe media selection behavior. Second, using two national data from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s health tracking survey and 2008 American National Election Data, I examine how people who rely on the Internet as a primary source of information tend to engage in selective learning and become issue specialists. I contextualized the results within the understanding of media and audience evolution. I also discuss the political implications of the findings and suggest future directions for research.