Confusing Content, Platforms, and Data: Young Adults and Trust in News Media

Veera Ehrlén, Karoliina Talvitie-Lamberg, Margareta Salonen, Minna Koivula, Mikko Villi and Turo Uskali
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Veera Ehrlén: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Karoliina Talvitie-Lamberg: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Margareta Salonen: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Minna Koivula: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Mikko Villi: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Turo Uskali: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Media and Communication, 2023, vol. 11, issue 4, 320-331

Abstract: News media trust, and the lack thereof, has been a prominent topic of discussion among journalism scholars in recent years. In this article, we study young adults’ trust in news media from the perspectives of platformisation and datafication. For the empirical study, we collected interview data from 23 Finnish 19–25-year-old young adults and analysed it inductively with applied thematic analysis. Our analysis reveals that trust negotiation is relational and entails not accepted, but forced vulnerability in relation to news media and the platforms on which they operate. Unclarity about the agency of news media on social media platforms causes young adults to experience powerlessness and anxiety in the face of data collection, which in practice translates into indifference toward their data being used by both news media and social media platforms. We show that young adults face a variety of challenges when navigating the online (news) media environment, which as we identify, can result in three trust-diminishing confusions about content, platforms, and data. This may have profound effects on how journalism is viewed as a cornerstone of a democratic society.

Keywords: data confusion; datafication; news; news trust; platformisation; social media; vulnerability; young adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v11:y:2023:i:4:p:320-331

DOI: 10.17645/mac.v11i4.7104

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