The study aims to contribute to the deeper understanding of young Facebook users’ news consumption routines within the platform and to find out how they experience the growing presence of news publishers there. The research is based on 10 semi­structured interviews with international students ­ Swedish Institute scholarship holders from seven different countries. The qualitative data is analysed with the help of the theoretical approach, based on the combination of two modern concepts, that consider user perspective on news consumption: the concept of “perceived worthwhileness” by Kim Christian Schroeder and “spatial turn” by Chris Peters. The research has shown that young users often use Facebook as their primary source of news and, therefore, adopt new routines on this social platform in terms of news consumption. Among them are scanning through personal news feeds, monitoring friends interests, using “likes” for information dissemination and self­expression, chain reading news and “playing” with algorithms. At the same time, the communicational component of Facebook is not ignored and the platform as a whole is experienced rather as a space than a specific medium. In general, young users experience news consumption on Facebook in a positive way and appreciate the opportunity to see their peers’ perspectives on particular issues, show their identity to significant others, be exposed to a diverse range of news without wasting time on searching and choosing, and keep track of their activities and interests. At the same time, the author identified a negative attitude towards the chaotic structure of news feeds and the complexity of the settings.

The study investigated how young people, aged between 20 and 26 years, use the media which is available to them, and how much time they spend on it on a weekday and on a weekend day. In addition to this, it identified which factors the people look for when they are about to choose which media is worth their time, and I found out which media or news user types the young people belong to. I believe that this target group includes the users of tomorrow which I find interesting. Hence, I decided to focus on their media habits in particular.The data was collected through the means of the media diary method since I strive to highlight the personal experiences of the participants. Five more in-depth interview questions followed the diary. Through the lens of the theory on worthwhileness, the data was analysed. From various dimensions of worthwhileness (Schrøder, 2010; Schrøder&Larsen, 2010), I tried to see which ones my participants could relate to, and which of the seven user types (Schrøder, 2010) they are part of.Results showed that not all the informants consume news in their everyday life but when they do so, it is mostly done through Facebook and Instagram or in a few cases, a newspaper’s website. Social media activities are given great importance by the young people, and from the various devices, they seem to prefer smartphone.Expanding on these findings, results also illustrated that accessibility, practical features offered by the technology, and that the media is easy to use are key for the young people. Participation is regarded as important: producing and sharing, commenting, or maybe discussing is a way for the people to express themselves. From seven user types, I identified four and my informants appreciate that they can get hold of the news and information very quickly and that the process is cheap.

This thesis examines the social media habits and preferences of female representatives of older Generation Z. The study aims to explore how individuals of this fraction of Gen Z choose social media platforms and content, interact with them and how social media is connected to their offline lives to understand female representatives of older Gen Z as a media audience. Using semi-structured interviews and observations data were gathered to be analyzed through the prism of a constructed theoretical framework uniting lifeworld theory, media repertoires theory, and worthwhileness theory to contextualize participants' experiences and motivations.  The findings reveal that regardless of similar needs older Gen Z women seek to satisfy on social media, they distribute functions between platforms differently and need no fewer than 3 platforms in their social media repertoires to meet their varied needs. The selection of these platforms is influenced by factors such as the capacity for public connection, normative pressures, technological aspects, situational fit, and content format offered. Emotional engagement, authenticity, and relatability were found to be key drivers of content consumption and interaction, with a preference for visual and short- form video content. The study also highlights the reciprocal relationship between online and offline experiences, showing how social media shapes and is shaped by participants' real-life contexts, which contextualizes criteria they measure social media platforms and content against in their offline lives and makes this study relevant beyond the digital sphere.  The findings contribute to understanding Gen Z as a social media audience and inform marketing strategies and audience engagement efforts, but also contribute to the understanding of digital anthropology, cultural transmission, and identity formation in the digital age. It underscores the evolving dynamics of social interaction, the need for data security awareness, and the potential to predict social trends.