The influence of social media news overload on news avoidance and filtering in Generation Z: A PLS-SEM study

This study examines the influence of social media news overload on the news consumption behaviors of Generation Z users in Vietnam, emphasizing the roles of news efficacy, affective load, and social filtering. Users have to deal with too much information on social media, which can make them tired and want to stay away from the news. By integrating Cognitive Load Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, this research explores how news overload influences news avoidance and filtering behaviors. The study proposes that increased news overload exacerbates news avoidance through heightened affective load and diminished news efficacy. Furthermore, it examines how the perception that “news finds me” moderates this relationship. The study utilizes a stratified random sampling technique, surveying 1,224 participants, and employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. The results confirm that news overload significantly leads to news avoidance and social filtering, with news efficacy playing a crucial mediating role. The results show how important it is to come up with ways to control how much news people read and to help them process information better. This means that social media platforms should provide personalized content to mitigate the negative effects of overload, such as filtering out irrelevant news and highlighting important updates based on user preferences. The study enhances comprehension of news avoidance behaviors in the digital era and offers insights into how social media users can navigate information overload.