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