Understanding local news consumption and community participation via the lens of information repertoires and media multiplexity

Abstract

This study applies and extends the frameworks of information repertoires and media multiplexity to examine how the use of local information repertoires affects multimodal community participation, which is in turn reflected in community integration. A path analysis was conducted on the data gathered by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. The results showed that four variables—habits of information seeking, diverse community interests, access to technology, and local information repertoires—were associated with each other. In addition, together they predicted community participation through multiple media use and the media gratifications obtained, which in turn positively influenced the level of local ties, community satisfaction, and community efficacy. Implications of the findings for theoretical and societal contributions and directions for future research are discussed.