The Modern Informed Citizen: Understanding Trade-offs in Digital News Consumption

In local and global contexts, the link between individual news consumption and beneficial or harmful effects is debated. Some communication theories posit that individuals must stay up-to-date with news to make civic choices like voting, volunteering, and participating in community organizing. Nonetheless, there is increasing evidence that overuse or overreliance on news can have harmful effects on mental health and lead to news avoidance. In a contested and polarized news landscape, understanding how individuals can sustain productive, healthy engagement with civic information is vital. In my work, I draw on literature in the communication and journalism fields to understand the impact of shifting media ecosystems on individuals. My studies employ methods from computational social science and human-computer interaction to analyze news content and exposure in more nuanced ways than previously available. I outline my agenda to run experiments to identify risk-benefit trade-offs at the individual level for engaging with evolving technological news systems.