Why People Post News on Social Networking Sites

While social networking sites (SNSs) have become popular news platforms where people receive and post news, little is known about why some people are relatively more active in receiving and posting news on SNSs. Based on the uses and gratification perspective, this study investigates (a) the direct and indirect effects of online news seeking on SNS news posting, through SNS news exposure, (b) the role of technology adoption as a moderator between online news seeking and SNS news exposure, and (c) the role of media bias perceptions and partisanship strength as moderators between SNS news exposure and SNS news posting. Analysis of 2010 Pew Research Center Media Consumption Survey data (N = 2,259) reveal that online news seeking significantly predicts SNS news posting, both directly and indirectly. While technology adoption was not a significant moderator, media bias perception and partisanship strength significantly interacted with SNS news exposure in predicting SNS news posting.

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