Acquiring Knowledge From the Media in the Internet Age

Democratic foundations rest on public support and a reasonably broad distribution of knowledge. The media have traditionally been assigned responsibility for providing much of that knowledge, but they do not inform all citizens equally; and communication scholars have, thus, studied the threat represented by the knowledge gap phenomenon. This study examines several factors on which the knowledge gap perspective is based in the online environment, including knowledge about international affairs, the local community, and the Internet. Results confirm gaps in all 3 knowledge types by education and income groups, including positive relationships between several media use and knowledge measures.