The phenomenon of news avoidance receives increasing scholarly attention as small but growing parts of society decrease or terminate their news intake. This development is particularly visible among younger generations, correlating with an increasing wish to disconnect digitally. The severity of news avoidance for society depends on the chosen democratic model. Following Habermas’ understanding of deliberative democracy theory, citizens are expected to be informed and willing to connect to the public. However, there are considerations for a change in citizenship ideals that reflect the implications of the digitalized world in which news consumption is situated. Consequently, there is a shift away from the normative expectation of always being informed, and even alternative ways of public connection have emerged. To explore the tension between news avoidance, the normative expectations of public connection, and the call for a more realistic view of today’s citizenship, this study explores news avoidance among young Swedish citizens. In ten in-depth interviews with young news avoiders, motivations for their low levels of news consumption were explored, leading to three categories: mental health, relevancy, and structural factors. Repeatedly mentioned were the personal considerations that news consumption decreased mental well-being and that free time was preferably used for personal interests. Additionally, the wish to disconnect from digital devices either directly or indirectly influenced news consumption. Moreover, understandings of citizenship were examined, showing various views ranging from cultural belonging to obligations. Regarding civic duties, the findings were ambivalent, showing both an understanding and a questioning of news consumption as a duty for citizens. Alternative ways of public connection, such as TV shows or social media consumption, seemed insufficient. Concluding, from the standpoint of deliberative democracy, the findings on news avoidance and participants’ understanding of citizenship pose a challenge for democratic societies that hampers public connection.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-531718 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Greiner, Sarah Florentine Maria |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informatik och media |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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