Much of the concern has come from data that suggest adults age 18-34 — so-called Millennials — do not visit news sites, read print newspapers, watch television news, or seek out news in great numbers. This generation, instead, spends more time on social networks, often on mobile devices. The worry is that Millennials’ awareness of the world, as a result, is narrow, their discovery of events is incidental and passive, and that news is just one of many random elements in a social feed.
A new comprehensive study that looks closely at how people learn about the world on these different devices and platforms finds that this newest generation of American adults is anything but “newsless,” passive, or civically uninterested.
How Millennials Get News:Inside the Habits of America’s First Digital Generation
I’ve been waiting for this survey for a long time. Because as an ‘old’ Millenial, I’ve always felt that the way I find and disseminate news was more complex than reported. Social Media has moved away from a place where one kept an open diary, in my day. As younger generations start to use legacy social media platforms like Facebook, their conception of how its used is shaped by generations before them. But one cannot say that for sure, because it’s not just youngsters who use social media platforms, but also people with businesses. Through paid promotion from themarketingheaven.com and Instagram, many businesses are increasingly finding themselves using these platform. They have heard countless stories and consequences about over sharing. So, younger millenials don’t use Facebook. Or, they migrate to social networks where they think they have more privacy. Rather than use it as an ‘open-diary’, a social media site, like Facebook, is a tool to take part in civil society. This is the essence of Reed’s Law, which says that “The value of a network increases dramatically when people form subgroups for collaboration and sharing.”.
The study was conducted by the American Press Institute. More interesting facts:
- Millenials are more likely have print subscriptions than digital.
- They are also less likely to pay for news in the first place.
- While a large majority of Millennial learn about ‘soft news’ (celebrities, gossip, etc.) from Social Media…
- …Millennials learn about ‘hard news’ topics such as Business and the Economy, Crime and Public Safety, Foreign and International from traditional news sources.
If you’re interested, this survey will help you understand the nuances of a generation that is shaping the way we get news.
When looking for news, you may hit a paywall. Want to know how to access those stories? Want to know which digital subscriptions the Library has? Want to access them, for free, with your library card? This is the list of newspapers and magazines you can access online, from anywhere. Use your computer, Ipad, Tablet or Smartphone.
Want to know where to find the digital magazines on the library website? On the top of this page, hover your mouse on ‘Online Services’. Then click on ‘Downloads and Streaming’. From there, you can choose between Zinio and/or Flipster. The subscriptions are listed below for your convenience:
Digital From Patchogue-Medford Library:
Zinio:
Artnews Astronomy Bead Style Bicycling Car and Driver Cocina Facil Conozca Mas Consumer Reports Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan en Español Digital Photo Digital Photo Pro Dwell Elle Eres Niños Every Day with Rachel Ray Saludable Family Circle Family Handyman Family Fun Food Network Magazine Forbes Gente Good Housekeeping Good Housekeeping en Español Interweave Knits Knitter's Magazine Ladies Home Journal Macworld Martha Stewart Living Martha Stewart Weddings Men's Health Mother Earth News Muy Interesante National Geographic National Geographic Traveler Natural Health Newsweek O, The Oprah Magazine PC Magazine PCWorld Popular Mechanics Popular Science Prevention Reader's Digest Redbook Rolling Stone Runner's World Ser Padres Seventeen - Mexico Tu Tu - Ediciones Especiales TvyNovelas USA Us Weekly Vanidades VIV Mag Weight Watchers Yoga Journal
Digital From the Suffolk County Library System:
Flipster:
American Craft The Atlantic Car & Driver Coastal Living Cooking Light Cosmopolitan Country Living Dr. Oz: The Good Life Ebony Elle Entrepreneur Esquire Essence Food Network Magazine Forbes Harper's Bazaar Health HGTV Magazine House Beautiful Jet Kiplinger's Personal Finance Marie Claire Men's Health Money National Review O, The Oprah Magazine People People en Español Popular Mechanics Prevention Redbook Road and Track Rolling Stone Seventeen Southern Living Sport's Illustrated Time Women's Health