This report shows a qualitative study on how six young adults in the ages between 20-30 who are students at Linnaeus University in Kalmar percieve their news consumption habits and their use of news media on digital platforms. The aim of the study is to examine whether the six students feel the strogest connection with the press where they were raised or where they currently live, why they choose to use the media platforms they do and what meaning the use of the media bare to the students. We have seen a lack of information concerning why young people choose to consume news online instead of in printed media. The study is focused on theories concerning what affects people in their choice of media platforms and channels. This report shows that geographic nature, the quality of the content and which political ideology the daily press is founded on does not affect the respondents choice of media. Our study shows that the most important factor for the respondents is that the platform is easily accesssible and flexible. We can also see that the dissapering of the printed newspaper is connected to generations and techonology.

This thesis set out to examine news habits among Swedish 15-20 year olds during the spring of 2020 but then the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Following the events and its possible implications on news consumption, the focus shifted towards also looking at how young people’s news habits might change during the pandemic. This study was primarily aimed at better understanding the relationship between young people and news by implementing theories relating to their motivations and how they connect to society. The method used to examine this was online surveys. Additionally, by building on research from the 2009 Swine flu pandemic the survey aimed at improving the understanding of news’ relevance in the context of the digitized media landscape and evolved use of social media. From the results it seems respondents had a bigger need for news and information during Covid-19. Results showed that young people have an interest in news and care about what goes on in society. Factors such as political interest and education level indicated higher news consumption but not as much in relation to the pandemic. Social media was important for the overall news consumption. Those discussing current events with friends and family were also more likely to consume news to a greater extent than those who did not. This study concludes that the decline in youth news consumption previously observed, might not be as severe and that the role of social media is a crucial element. It is also evident that the Covid-19 pandemic increased young people’s news consumption and they turn to the news for information and to better understand what goes on in the world around them.

This audience study explores the changes of news consumption and avoidance behaviour by young millennial immigrants from various backgrounds, living in Stockholm, Sweden. Considering various theoretical frameworks, such as the intentional vs. unintentional model (Skovsgaard & Andersen, 2020), the migration change model (Tabor & Milfont, 2011), as well as a combination of a phenomenology of news model (Bengtsson & Johansson, 2021) and media repertoires established by Swart et al. (2017), a qualitative research has been conducted consisting of eight semi-structured interviews. Through a thematic analysis possible patterns have been established and findings show that individuals tend to change their behaviour in news consumption for various reasons. (1) Participants want to be able to establish their own news-routines and use their migration as an opportunity for a new start, (2) there is a certain influence by people closest to them and with their social circle changing, their (news) interests change as well, and (3) motivation and interest play an important role in shaping new consumption behaviours in a new country: the more one is interested in learning more about the new country, its culture and its language, the more likely they are to check that country’s traditional news media sources.

Sebbene la presenza dei figli degli migranti stia assumendo sempre maggior rilievo anche in Italia la ricerca ha posto poca attenzione alle loro scelte di consumo mediale e all’appropriazione dei media come risorse sociali ed ambientali. La tesi si focalizza sul caso delle giovani donne di origine araba per indagare il ruolo giocato dal consumo di notizie nella cornice più complessa dei processi di negoziazione di identità. Un focus è riservato alle tre dimensioni di appartenenze, partecipazione e trasmissione culturale tra generazioni – in relazione alle madri e ai coetanei. Un’indagine, a livello più “macro”, indaga le possibili implicazioni per il dialogo interculturale. Attraverso la raccolta di quarantotto storie di vita un primo livello di analisi diacronico indaga presenza e intensità del consumo di news nelle fasi della vita per comprendere se possa rappresentare un rito di passaggio all’età adulta, mentre una seconda pista cerca di comprendere come esso si leghi alla questione del sentirsi “cittadini”, in termini di riconoscimento, appartenenza e per scoprire se il consumo di news possa diventare una risorsa per essere soggetti attivi nella sfera pubblica. Tutte le giovani donne di origine araba vivono a Milano, hanno tra i diciotto e i trentadue anni e differiscono per le variabili di 1) nascita o arrivo in Italia dopo i 6 anni; 2) attivismo e 3) religiosità (musulmane, copte ortodosse, atee). / Although the presence of migrants’ sons and daughters is gaining more and more importance also in Italy, the research have not given special attention to their choices concerning media consumption and to the appropriation of the media as social and environmental resources. This thesis is focused on the case of young women of Arab origin in order to investigate the intersections between news consumption and the negotiation of the social identity. A first focus is on three dimensions: participation, belonging and cultural transmission – in comparison with mothers and peers. A second “macro” level of the research investigates the implications as regard to intercultural dialogue. Through the collection of forty-eight life histories, a first level of diachronic analysis investigates the presence and the intensity of news consumption in different stages in order to understand if it could be a rite of passage to the adulthood, while a second track tries to understand how this is connected to the feeling of being “citizens”, in terms of identification, belonging and to investigate if news consumption may be a resource to be active citizens in the public sphere. All young women of Arab origin live in Milan, they are between eighteen and thirty-two years old, and differ in variables 1) they were born or arrived in Italy since they were 6 years old, 2) activism and 3) religion (Muslims, Coptic Orthodox or atheists).