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Incidentality on a continuum

A comparative conceptualization of incidental news consumption

Bibliographic Data

ID7478282
AuthorsEugenia Mitchelstein (0000-0001-7355-8740, University of San Andrés, corresponding author), Pablo J Boczkowski (0000-0002-9446-8303, Northwestern University), K Tenenboim-Weinblatt (0000-0001-9268-3969, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), Kaori Hayashi (0000-0002-9020-3068, The University of Tokyo), Mikko Villi (0000-0001-6935-9386, University of Jyväskylä), Neta Kligler-Vilenchik (0000-0003-3470-3305, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
Year2020
Volume21
Issue8
Pages1136-1153
Publication date2020-04-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1464884920915355
OpenAlexW3018847192
LanguageEN
Citations received32
References cited38

This article seeks to contribute to theorizing the dynamics of incidental news consumption. Through an analysis of 200 semi-structured interviews with people in Argentina, Finland, Israel, Japan, and the United States, we show that intentionality in news consumption can be viewed on a continuum, which goes from deliberately setting apart time to access the news on specific outlets to skimming through unsought-for news on social and broadcast media, with intermediate practices such as respondents setting up an environment where they are more or less likely to encounter news. Drawing on structuration theory, this article conceptualizes incidental news in the context of the wider media environment and across multiple levels of analysis and explores how individual agency and social structure interact to shape information acquisition practices

Advertising · Agency (philosophy · Business · Conceptualization · Consumption (sociology · Context (archaeology · Epistemology · Geography · Intentionality · Media studies · News media · Political science · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Structure and agency · Computer Science · Media Studies and Communication · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Social Media and Politics

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Unique citing works32
Citations per year5,33
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 32
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