Adobe Systems 1 Age, Life cycle and Politics Pmcb1013: Citizens, media and public opinion 11th November, 2024 Karolína Bieliková Adobe Systems Pmcb1013: Citizens, media and public opinion 2 How do you get your news everyday? How do you your parents get their news? How do your grandparents? Does your political attitude differ? Adobe Systems 3 Today's agenda ̶News consumption ̶Political participation ̶ ̶Perception of citizenship ̶Election time Obsah obrázku kresba, skica, klipart, ilustrace Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 4 Different generations ̶Traditionalists (1922 – 1944) ̶Baby boomers (1945 – 1964) ̶Gen X (1965 – 1979) ̶Millenials (1980 – 1994) ̶Gen Z (1995 – 1997) ̶ Adobe Systems 5 Why is news consumption important? ̶News use is a vital factor in influencing people's political opinions and engagement ̶Higher political information consumption leads to higher political participation (Boulliane, 2020) ̶New information environment first seen as an opportunity for better informed citizens and higher levels of participation •BUT currently can be seen also as a challenge to this established conviction •Influence of news consumption on social media (Knoll, Matthes, & Heiss, 2020) •Dissemination of mis/disinformation (Vasoughi, Roy & Aral, 2018; Winnterlin et al., 2023) Adobe Systems 6 Road to participation A group of people giving each other a high five Description automatically generated A blue drawing of a megaphone and speech bubble Description automatically generated A blue drawing of a person and a chat bubble Description automatically generated Adobe Systems 7 Road to Participation Obsah obrázku text, diagram, snímek obrazovky, Paralelní Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 8 News consumption Differences between generations Obsah obrázku text, osoba, kniha, počítač Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 9 Change in supply side ̶Growing number information sources oPersonalized media diets (different levels of political content) ̶New forms of information sources, that do not adhere to the same ethical and practical rules of traditional journalism – social media ̶ ̶Change in the news format ̶Combining hard news with entertainment ̶Using click-bait ̶ ̶ Adobe Systems 10 Change in demand side ̶Continuing decrease in news subscription ̶ ̶New ways of consuming news: oNews-snacking oNews-find me oSmall group of political news junkies Adobe Systems 11 Objective vs. Subjective knowledge ̶New forms of news structures is based in new forms of news consumption, e.g. mobile phones ̶ ̶Consuming news through headlines or social media can impact what we gain from the information we are consuming oObjective vs. Subjective knowledge (Dreston & Neubaum, 2023) ̶ ̶This further impacts political attitudes and/or willingnes towards political participation (Ohme, 2020) Adobe Systems 12 News consumption of our (grand)parents ̶Focus on traditional media - newspapers, tv, radio oBased on tradition and habit – influences also trust ̶Some use of social media and accidental exposure to news ̶Specific sources actively targeting older people – chain emails ̶ ̶ ̶ Obsah obrázku text, noviny, papír, kupa Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 13 News consumption of younger generations ̶More focus on online sources (Boulliane & Shehata, 2021) oRejecting traditional news formats oNo source preference ̶Use of social media as a source of information and a platform for expression (Andersen et al., 2020) Adobe Systems 14 Who gets information where Obsah obrázku text, snímek obrazovky, diagram, Písmo Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Obsah obrázku text, snímek obrazovky, Písmo, řada/pruh Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 15 Who gets information where Obsah obrázku text, snímek obrazovky, diagram, Barevnost Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 16 "when a generation has grown old they have already developed strong media habits, which change slowly, whereas when individuals are young there is greater responsiveness to emergent news media that has to do with them being in a formative phase in life. During this period they are more open to trying new media and domesticating these into their lives." (Westlund and Weibull (2013: 167) Adobe Systems 17 Political participation and attitudes Obsah obrázku oblečení, kreslené, osoba Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 18 Political participation ■‘those activities by private citizens that are more or less directly aimed at influencing the selection of governmental personnel and/or the actions they take’ (Verba & Nie, 1972) ■Reflects activities not attitudes ■Spectrum of what activities are political participation is getting wider with the use of internet and growing number of social media (Waeterloos, Walrave, & Ponnet, 2021; Lee & Kim, 2021) Obsah obrázku boty, text, oblečení, osoba Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 19 Traditional forms of participation (Verba & Nie, 1972) §Verba and Nie’s seminal definition cited above, political participation has four minimal definitional features: §(i) participation is an activity, §(ii) it is voluntary and not ordered by a ruling class or obliged under some law, §(iii) it refers to people in their role as non-professionals or amateurs, §(iv) it concerns government, politics, or the state ̶ Voting Campaign activity Cooperative activity Citizen- initiated contact Adobe Systems 20 New forms of participation §Opening up the definition of participation: ‘any dimensions of social activity that are either designed directly to influence government agencies and the policy process, or indirectly to impact civil society, or which attempt to alter systematic patterns of social behavior’ (Norris, 2002: 16) §Blurring the boundaries between political and civic participation §Additional forms of participation such as joining boycotting or attending demonstrations ̶ Obsah obrázku Lidská tvář, venku, text, osoba Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 21 Role of social media ̶Both the place to get information and to participate ̶User can also become a source of information oInfluencers oComments ̶Place of political discussion: oShapes perception on what topics are important oForms a picture of how political attitudes look like in society Obsah obrázku text, Lidská tvář, osoba, plakát Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 22 Life- cycle perspective -Political interest and participation related to which cycle of life you are in – what are you priorities? -the frequency of participation increases from early adulthood onwards and only drops in the very last stages of life -In younger years, immediate life challenges, such as education, career planning, dating, and identity building, make political involvement less of a priority -With responsibilities of adulthood, such as starting a family, work, and paying taxes, political decisions become more relevant in their lives Adobe Systems 23 Cohort effect perspective ̶Challenges the life-cycle perspective ̶Each generations has different formative experiences ̶Motivation for participation and political attitudes is based in specific events/periods throughout life (e.g. Cold War, Communism, 9/11) ̶ Obsah obrázku text, rukopis, reproduktor, megafon Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 24 Cohort effect perspective ̶Socio-economic situation in the formative years oCitizens’ levels of education, the norms and values of their time, and their political socialization create a ‘generational imprint’ that shapes their political participation throughout life o ̶With time the way of expressing themselves becomes habitual and defines the way a generation engages in politics ̶Early experiences with the political system leaves a permanent mark on adolescents and young adults that afects their future political behaviour Adobe Systems 25 Generations and their characteristics ̶Traditionalists (1922 – 1944) oWorld War II and Great Depression oRespect authorities through values like obedience, diligence, and duty ̶Baby boomers (1945 – 1964) oContrasting Traditionalist: optimistic, collectivistic, and embracing the free expression of opinion oGrew up in politically stable and economically prosperous times ̶Gen X (1965 – 1979) ogrew up in a highly modern world with less stable social structures oQuestioning traditional norms (e.g. family) oLess faith in political and economic promises and are known as the frst generation to regard political protest as an appropriate means of political expression ̶ ̶ Adobe Systems 26 Generations and their characteristics -Millenials (1980 – 1994) oComing-of-age years are characterized by media coverage about permanent threats oDo not take stability and economic well-being for granted but nonetheless decide to keep an optimistic pace in life oGreater fexibility in life models -Gen Z (1995 – 1997) oBorn into the new information age (digital natives) oPercpetion of the world as rather unsafe but at the same time sharpened their global awareness oBelieve in power of the network, when it comes to political participation and civic engagement o - - - Adobe Systems 27 Road to Participation Obsah obrázku text, diagram, snímek obrazovky, Paralelní Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 28 Political interest " citizen's willingness to pay attention to political phenomena at the possible expense of other topics” (Lupia and Philpot 2005) ̶one of the most important personal motivations explaining news media use and various forms of political engagement ̶Shaped by the current information environment with endless choices of information sources and forms of participation oMore important for younger generations (Boulliane & Shehata. 2021) Adobe Systems 29 Political interest Obsah obrázku text, diagram, řada/pruh, snímek obrazovky Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 30 Political knowledge ̶ ̶News media as a crucial source for whta we learn abotu politics ̶Older generation tend to know more about the ongoings in politics ̶Political knowledge rises in election time and generation gaps become smaller Adobe Systems 31 Political knowledge Obsah obrázku text, řada/pruh, diagram, snímek obrazovky Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 32 Political efficacy ‘individuals’ self-perceptions that they are capable of understanding politics and competent enough to participate in political acts’ (Miller et al., 1979, p. 253) ̶Political efficacy may rise with more political experience, specifically voting ̶Exposure to political information in the news media is likely to have a positive effect on the feeling of being efficacious Adobe Systems 33 Political efficacy Obsah obrázku text, snímek obrazovky, diagram, řada/pruh Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 34 Types of citizenship Self-actualizing citizenship ̶Driven by a personal intrinsic motivation ̶Typical for younger generation ̶Cause-oriented ̶Motivated by self-actualizing goals ̶Formed by the digital information environment ̶ ̶ ̶ Dutiful citizenship ̶Driven by an extrinsic sense of duty or importance ̶Typical for older generation ̶Socialized habits oriented toward institutional politics ̶Shaped by the use of traditional media Adobe Systems 35 Election time! ̶Heightened exposure to political content ̶ ̶Media are especially relevant for younger voters since they have just entered the political system and are more uncertain than older generations about whom to vote for in their frst elections (Ohme, de Vreese, & Albæk, 2018) ̶ ̶Difference in political activities across generations before election Adobe Systems 36 Election time! Obsah obrázku text, snímek obrazovky, řada/pruh, diagram Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 37 Election time! Obsah obrázku text, snímek obrazovky, Písmo, design Popis se vygeneroval automaticky. Adobe Systems 38 Are the kids alright? ̶For young citizens, higher political engagement is a more important precondition for news exposure on both traditional media and social media ̶Generations who had more time throughout their lives to develop political interest and efcacy more easily consume news = life-cycle difference ̶Older generations are more politically active than the younger ones besides election ̶Younger generations are prone to using news types of political participation (social media) ̶Older generation using social media often targeted against the political system Adobe Systems 39 Obsah obrázku text, snímek obrazovky, Písmo, číslo Popis se vygeneroval automaticky.