From Access to Experience: Exploring Social Inequalities in Digital News Use Through Trace Interviews

Digital transformation has not only reshaped access to journalism but also increased inequalities in news use. This paper examines these divides through the lens of news experience, focusing on how people from different socioeconomic groups in the Global North and South use digital news. Drawing on 73 trace interviews in the United Kingdom and Brazil, we highlight agency as a key differentiator in news exposure, curation, and algorithms. Lower-socioeconomic status groups benefit less from journalism, leading to withdrawal in the United Kingdom and vigilance in Brazil. Overall, we find that journalism’s capacity to address inequalities is mediated by digital environments shaping inclusion and recognition.