Decisions behind choice of specific online media and the

The study results indicate that mobile technologies have a strong influence on young adults’ choice of specific online media. According to the interviews,

young adults tend to choose to follow news from media the applications of which they have downloaded on their mobile phones. Furthermore, an advantage contributing to young adults’ choice of following news via mobile applications was the fact that such technologies were considered easy to use.

Although the respondents mentioned following other media as well, the news sources the apps of which they had on their mobile devices were characterized as the primary news sources.

“The reason why I read Ilta-Sanomat is that I have downloaded its app on my mobile phone. I find it convenient to read news that way as I almost always carry my phone with me.” (Respondent 16)

Trustworthiness and popularity of the medium were factors that had an impact on several participants’ choice of news media. The youth believed that by following nationwide, reputable news sources they were able to obtain honest and trustworthy information regarding national and world news. The web pages of Helsingin Sanomat, Aamulehti, and YLE were mentioned as the top most reliable news sources to which the youth navigate to when searching for fact-based news information.

“The media I read are well-known and reputable, and I consider them trustworthy. I think those are the main reasons why I choose to follow such news sources.”

(Respondent 13)

The empirical data suggest that also the level of writing affects young adults’

choice of news media. A couple of respondents rationalized their choice of following Helsingin Sanomat and YLE with the fact that such online news sites usually published articles that are of better quality than the news on daily tabloids. The type of news the respondent was looking for affected the choice of digital media used. If the respondent wanted to find news based on facts they used news sources that they considered reliable, such as Helsingin Sanomat and YLE. On the other hand, when wanting to read entertainment news the web pages of the tabloids were used. One respondent mentioned wanting to avoid sensational news and therefore preferred to read news from media that seldom published such news articles.

“If I’m looking for factual information or want to read about something serious that has happened, I always choose to read the news of Helsingin Sanomat or YLE as such news sites are more reliable than, for example, Iltalehti, and the news better written than those of daily tabloids. When it comes to entertainment news the medium used doesn’t matter so much.” (Respondent 19)

“In my opinion, Helsingin Sanomat and Aamulehti are reliable news sources and from such sources it is possible to read truthful news. I try to avoid sensational news and useless entertainment use and prefer to read news on sites at which I don’t bump into them.” (Respondent 9)

The data implies that some of the respondents attach a great importance to the cost free nature of media: being able to read news free of charge was a top

criterion for a couple of interviewees. The choice behind the online media being used was also determined by locality. Some respondents mentioned closely following the news of Keskisuomalainen or the regional newspaper of their hometown in order to be able to read as much local news as possible. Moreover, one respondent stated she preferred to follow media that are actively updated.

Furthermore, the results of the study indicate that the environment in which one grows up in has a great impact on the media the person decides to consume in adulthood. Parents may act as role models and their news consumption behavior may be absorbed by their children. One of the interviewees felt that childhood experiences determined her choice of news media. She characterizes her choice of digital media as follows:

“I believe my news consumption behavior has been formed on the basis of what news media my parents have followed when I was a child. My parents have watched and listened to the news of YLE and already at an early age I got used to reading the print versions of Helsingin Sanomat and Keskisuomalainen. I have come to the conclusion that such news channels are relatively reliable and as a result switching to reading their online version has felt natural.” (Respondent 6)

The empirical study shows that the majority of youth follow digital media on a daily basis. Approximately 76% of the respondents mentioned visiting digital news sites every day, some even stated reading news several times a day. The study results also indicate that following news may become a habit which is then repeated daily.

“I follow digital media on a daily basis. I think following news has become a routine:

every day when I wake up I browse through the news sites to see if something significant has happened.” (Respondent 5)

The study results indicate that young adults are heavy users of social media and such media are therefore also important communication channels for newspapers. The data suggests, that social media was considered as one reason why the youth come to read news as such media enables the youth to come across news without actively searching for information. Especially Facebook was attributed for the active news reading behavior by some of the respondents.

As the youth had liked the Facebook pages of newspapers, they were likely to see some news posts every time they logged into Facebook.

“I read some news every day. I think it is thanks to Facebook, as people have shared news there. Or because I have liked the Facebook page of Aamulehti and therefore receive Aamulehti’s news on my Facebook feed.” (Respondent 2)

A small number of respondents stated following news only a couple of times per week. One reason behind such behavior was the perception of lack of time.

Some people believed they would be informed if something really important they needed to be aware of would happen. However, the results suggest, that when it comes to people who state they do not regularly follow news media, the amount of time they dedicate to news consumption may vary from time to time.