News and the Overloaded Consumer: Factors Influencing Information Overload Among News Consumers

TLDR

News production volume and platform proliferation are rising, yet consumers may not find additional news desirable, and while information surplus can harm consumers, little research has examined its effects on news consumption. The study investigates news surplus and overload by empirically examining factors associated with perceived overload across a broad spectrum of news delivery platforms. The authors empirically examined these factors across a wide range of news delivery platforms. Most consumers feel overloaded; overload is predicted by gender, news interest, and platform use, with computer, e‑reader, and Facebook increasing overload and television and iPhone decreasing it.

Abstract

News producers continue to increase their volume of production and delivery platforms in an effort to reach and maintain news consumers. However, consumers may not necessarily find more news desirable. Previous studies have suggested that information surplus can lead to negative outcomes for consumers, but research of outcomes related to news production and consumption has been scant. This study explores novel areas of news surplus and overload, empirically examining factors associated with the degree of perceived overload across a broad spectrum of news delivery platforms. The findings reveal that the majority of today's news consumers feel overloaded with the amount of news they are confronted with. Gender, news interest, and the use of specific news platforms and outlets predict the degree of that overload. News access through platforms and outlets such as computers, e-readers, and Facebook is positively associated with overload, whereas other platforms such as television and the iPhone are negatively associated with overload. Implications for media psychology and news consumption are discussed.