Cross-Platform News Media Repertoires and Their Political Implications

Abstract

With the expansion of news media platforms, news media usage patterns and their implications on civic and political engagement have become complex. To better understand these complexities, this study examines cross-platform news media repertoires and their associations with civic and political engagement. By using single-source data that merged electronic and survey measures of digital and traditional media usage, we investigated the formation of news media repertoires and the influence of news media repertoires on civic and political engagement. We found that South Korean media users form four cross-platform news media repertoires, which significantly differed in age, education, and region. A close examination of news media repertoires revealed that Traditional + Social News Users had higher odds of civic and political engagement compared with News Avoiders. The findings demonstrate how individuals navigate various media platforms and how a combination of such platforms differentially contributes to civic and political engagement.