Democracy, Deliberation, and Media

The Role of Incidental Exposure and News Consumption

Bibliographic Data

ID21225152
AuthorsAndrés Scherman (0000-0002-7982-1738, Adolfo Ibáñez University), Pedro Fierro (0000-0002-8910-9461, Adolfo Ibáñez University), Yuanliang Shan (0009-0006-8995-7598, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Year2025
Volume13
Publication date2025-08-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia and Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2183-2439 • E-ISSN: 2183-2439
PublisherCogitatio (PUBLISHER • PT)
DOI10.17645/mac.9959
OpenAlexW4413760736
LanguageEN
References cited48

This study examines the relation between news consumption and fostering public deliberation within democratic systems. Drawing on Jürgen Habermas’s concepts of understanding orientation (consensus-oriented, communicative rationality) and strategic orientation (goal-oriented, instrumental rationality), it explores how news media can either facilitate rational communication in public debates or, alternatively, encourage strategic interventions. To investigate these relationships, this study utilizes a survey in Chile ( N = 903) conducted under the supervision of the Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Politics, Public Opinion, and Media (Nucleo MEPOP) between August and September 2022. The findings reveal that traditional media and social media are significantly and positively associated with a strategic orientation, whereas exposure to digital media is negatively associated with such an orientation. Additionally, incidental exposure emerges as a key factor in shaping the relationship between media consumption and deliberative predispositions. This article contributes to the understanding of classical approaches to the study of deliberation in the digital contemporary context, where homophily, polarization, and confrontation have emerged as significant challenges for both developing and established democracies

Advertising · Business · Deliberation · Democracy · Media consumption · Media studies · News media · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Media Studies and Communication · Social Media and Politics

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Open DOIOpen Access