Opposing and stabilizing: analyzing the longitudinal usage trends of traditional and new media platforms for news in Singapore

As audiences navigate increasingly complex media environments, traditional media platforms (TMPs) and new media platforms (NMPs) may function as substitutes, complements, or co-existing elements within news repertoires. This study examines how TMPs’ and NMPs’ news use co-evolve over time. Using three-wave panel data from Singapore, a high-choice yet tightly regulated media system characterized by strong state influence and relatively high trust in traditional media, this study analyses how changes in TMP and NMP use are associated over time, and whether distinct audience patterns emerge in these trajectories. Results from latent class growth modeling show a positive association between TMP and NMP usage trends across waves, suggesting co-evolving rather than purely substitutive relationships. At the same time, three distinct audience profiles reveal heterogeneous patterns, including opposing and stabilizing trajectories of platform use. These findings underscore that the relationship between the use of TMPs and NMPs is neither uniform nor static, but varies across audience segments. By leveraging longitudinal data and accounting for audience heterogeneity in a non-Western context, this study advances research on media displacement by demonstrating how platform relationships are structured within evolving media repertoires under specific systemic conditions.