Understanding news engagement on social media: A media repertoire approach

This study promotes the news repertoire framework as an analytical approach best suited for studying news engagement on social media (SM), considering its multifaceted nature. To demonstrate the theoretical benefits of this proposal, the study seeks to (1) identify user profiles based on SM news viewing and sharing, and news consumption on other platforms; (2) determine profile predictors; and (3) evaluate their possible outcomes. A panel study (N = 1786) demonstrated the emergence of identifiable profiles, attributed to differences in SM use and political interest. In addition, profiles embodied different effects on political participation over time. A second study (N = 86) was conducted thereafter, in which users’ Facebook news feed use was analyzed to determine differences in news supply according to profiles. Findings that could not have been achieved using the more common unidimensional news consumption methods are discussed in light of new theoretical gains provided by the repertoire approach.