Consumptive News Feed Curation on Social Media: A Moderated Mediation Model of News Interest, Affordance Utilization, and Friending

Abstract

This study analyzed a survey sample from China and investigated how (1) news interest, (2) affordance utilization, and (3) friending were associated with consumptive news feed curation (CNFC), a practice of selective exposure, as well as the ways in which these associations were mediated and moderated by psychological factors. Findings showed that all 3 factors were positively associated with CNFC. Media locus of control (MLOC), namely, individuals’ beliefs in their ability to control their information environment, was found to be a positive mediator. Namely, the three independent variables led to greater MLOC before facilitating CNFC. Need for cognition (NFC) was a moderator. That is, the main associations became weaker among those with higher NFC, suggesting that people with a stronger preference for analytical and logical information processing were less likely to curate for consumptive purposes. Moderating effect of NFC was also found on the indirect effects of news interest and affordance utilization on CNFC.