Abstract

This exploratory study investigates social network sites (SNS) users’ time allocation behavior among various traditional and new media. Specifically, it examines the difference in degree of dependency on SNS between the young generation and the general population as a new form of news medium based on the media system dependency (MSD) and the microeconomic consumption (MEC) theories. The research results reveal that SNS, along with other online media, such as online audio/video news, are the preferred news sources for young people and they are more likely to be interested in soft news than hard news. SNS has become online users’ news portal and is closely related to their other online and user-generated content media use. The significant difference in news media use between the general population and college students also illustrates the importance of choosing the sample in studying SNS and media use.

Key Words: Social Network Sites, Microeconomic Consumption Theory,

            Media System Dependency Theory, News Consumption

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, April 2013, 1 – 14 

©Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the authors

*Prof. Louisa Ha is the Associate Editor, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Professor and Chair, Department of Telecommunications, School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, U.S.A.

**Dr. Kisung Yoon, Ph.D in communication studies, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, U.S.A.

***Xiaoqun Zhang, School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, U.S.A.

+Acknowledgement: The authors would like to thank the Toledo Blade and the Bowling Green State

University Research Enhancement Capacity Grant for funding support of this project.

Full Article

Words: 7,394; Pages: 14