Social (media) psychology of the “news-finds-me” perception: habits, mindsets, and beliefs

Unintended encounters with news on social media can foster a reliance on incidental news exposure and the perception that “news finds me.” Because the “news-finds-me” (NFM) perception has negative consequences for informed and engaged citizenship, explaining it has become a priority in recent years. This two-wave survey of adults in the USA incorporates scholarship on social media habits and social media mindsets for an expanded view of the antecedent psychological conditions of the “news-finds-me” perception. Path analyses indicate habitual use of social media to have direct effects and core beliefs about social media and algorithmic control to have indirect effects through habitual use. These patterns hold for two of the three sub-dimensions of the NFM perception, indicating habit and mindset to be fruitful theoretical directions for future research.