Patterns of Internet and Traditional News Media Use in a Networked Community

TLDR

The growing popularity of the Web as a news source raises questions about whether it will supplement or replace newspapers and television, and why some people prefer it over traditional media. The study examined patterns of Web and traditional media exposure in relation to computer anxiety, desire for control, and political knowledge. Surveying 520 university students, the authors found that Web news use is positively associated with newspaper reading but unrelated to television viewing, is mainly used for entertainment, and is unlikely to substantially reduce traditional media consumption even as Internet access and computer skills become widespread.

Abstract

Abstract The growing popularity of the World Wide Web as a source of news raises questions about the future of traditional news media. Is the Web likely to become a supplement to newspapers and television news, or a substitute for these media? Among people who have access to newspapers, television, and the World Wide Web, why do some prefer to use the Web as a source of news, while others prefer traditional news media? Drawing from a survey of 520 undergraduate students at a large public university where Internet use is woven into the fabric of daily life, this study suggests that use of the Web as a news source is positively related with reading newspapers but has no relationship with viewing television news. Members of this community use the Web mainly as a source of entertainment. Patterns of Web and traditional media exposure are examined in light of computer anxiety, desire for control, and political knowledge. This study suggests that even when computer skills and Internet access become more widespread in the general population, use of the World Wide Web as a news source seems unlikely to diminish substantially use of traditional news media.