Social Work

Old age is also a time for change: trends in news intermediary preferences among internet users in Canada and Spain

A. Rosales, M. Fernández-ardèvol, et al.

This research by Andrea Rosales, Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol, Madelin Gómez-León, and Pedro Jacobetty explores the intriguing landscape of news consumption among older adults in Canada and Spain, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Surprisingly, despite the surge in digitalization, many older adults prefer traditional mass media. Discover how their choices shape information diversity and challenge social media echo chambers.

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Playback language: English

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the preferred news intermediaries of older online adults (aged 60 and over) in Canada and Spain, comparing data from before (2016/17) and during (2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that most participants primarily used mass media or a combination of mass, social, and personal intermediaries. Only a minority (28%) relied solely on social and personal intermediaries. Despite the pandemic's acceleration of digitalization, media usage did not always increase or shift towards newer technologies. The findings contribute to understanding the diverse news sources used by older adults and how these media ecologies contribute to information diversity beyond the potential echo chambers of social media.

Publisher

Humanities & Social Sciences Communications

Published On

Mar 28, 2024

Authors

Andrea Rosales, Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol, Madelin Gómez-León, Pedro Jacobetty

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