Chan-Olmsted, et al. (2013). Mobile News Adoption Among Young Adults: Examining the Roles of Perceptions, News Consumption, and Media Usage. (Gareth)

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Young adults today are unlike any other generation that has come before them; growing up alongside the digital revolution and being immersed in digital media has given this generation largely unprecedented insights and perspectives. One of the most discussed aspects of this relatively new digital era is the prominence of digital social media platforms. Another significant aspect of today’s digital era is the impact felt by the news media industry and it’s evolution to integrate these new digital platforms. Being inherently familiar with and fluent in digital language and interaction makes this generation of young adults particularly significant in this area of inquiry. Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) contribute to this discussion by exploring the news consumption habits and media usage of young adults with a particular emphasis on social media. Focusing more on the various ways young adults utilize digital media for news consumption purposes, Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) provide valuable observations, which allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between young adults and digital news media. Several other scholars have investigated various aspects of this relationship, but Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) are among the first to focus more on how young adults utilize digital media as a source of news information rather than why.

News consumption has been said to be a marker of good citizenry and healthy democracy; however, young adults today are often criticized for having short attention spans and for not being interested or concerned with relevant social issues and news information. Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) prove this criticism unfounded by showing that young adults actively consume news information, although for different reasons and in different ways than previous generations. In fact, not only do young adults actively consume news media, they consume increasingly vast amounts of information; amounts previous generations had thought impossible. Many young adults are reluctant print newsreaders, preferring digital media platforms instead for various reasons including convenience, variety, interactivity, and efficiency (Chan-Olmsted et al., 2013). The authors go on to explain the habitual consumption practices of young adults in the face of a plethora of news media, which avoids active decision-making allowing for more consumption with less thorough engagement (Chan-Olmsted et al., 2013). With so many different digital news media platforms, young adults often rely on familiarity, recommendation, and other factors to determine their preferred sources (Chan-Olmsted et al., 2013).

When exploring the relationship between young adults and digital news media, it is valuable to not only focus on the ways young adults approach news media but also the ways in which news media engages young adult consumers. Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) take a look at the ways digital news platforms appeal to their consumers, particularly young adults, such as through targeted headlines and pointedly efficient descriptions or explanations. Furthermore, it is also explained how modern news media organizations especially value the engagement of this young adult demographic as they are establishing their consumption habits, practices, and preferences for their future (Chan-Olmsted et al., 2013). The dynamic between young adults and news media becomes especially apparent through digitalized social media platforms. Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) note how social media platforms provide a unique place for news media and young adults to interact and coexist. By highlighting the things preferred by young adults in news media, such as convenience, variety, interactivity, and efficiency, social media proves to be a place where many young adults turn to for both access to news information as well as engagement with this information. Separating from the obvious, and often repeated, discussion of why young adults prefer digital news media to other mediums, Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) instead focus on how young adults use digital media for news consumption.

The study conducted by Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) involved a convenience sample of 384 undergraduate students from five different courses at one American university. Obviously, future research would benefit from expanding the sample of participants to include students from other universities across the United States and abroad. Despite inevitable weaknesses from the study’s sample, Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) make valuable contributions to scholarly literature by exploring nuanced issues that had previously been overlooked. There seems to be a lack of research into how young adults utilize digital media technologies to consume news information as well as how news media companies utilize digital technologies to engage these young adult consumers. By addressing some of the gaps in scholarly literature between young adults, news media, and news consumption, Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) allow for a more comprehensive and thorough understanding in this area of research while providing a platform for future scholars to build upon.

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