Influence of Social Broadcasting Networks on News Consumption

Abstract

This study assesses potentially sensitive effects of a specific sub-class of digital social technologies called social broadcasting networks (SBNs). Adopting the explanatory mechanisms of social network structures (Borgatti et al. 2009; Kane et al. 2014), and adapting Herzberg et al’s (1959) Two Factor theory, it investigates how the structure of a SBN (conceptualized as its relative advantage), and the influence of users in a SBN empower two key news consumption behaviours viz. switching and continuance. Employing the survey (qualitative) method, the study empirically validates the news consumption behaviours of 325 respondents. Findings reveal a more nuanced role of SBNs indicating the potential benefits to news firms because of individuals switching to traditional news mediums while in the same breadth highlights the potential of SBNs as competitive news providers. It shows intermittent use of SBNs and signifies that when online and offline news mediums co-exist, influence of users in the incumbent (online) medium plays a powerful role in inducing or refraining the use of a substitute offline medium. This study develops new ontological and theoretical understanding of the entanglement of technology and social activity that is dynamic, at times ephemeral and pervasively ubiquitous.