Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.57> Article
Research Article

Self-Preservation in the Digital Age: An Exploration of the Positive Utilization of News Avoidance

Yingjun YuSchool of Journalism and Culture Communication, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, Hubei, 430073, China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In recent years, the rapid development of the Internet has made it more convenient for the public to access all kinds of information. However, the number of people avoiding news is gradually increasing. The phenomenon of news avoidance is becoming increasingly common worldwide and is regarded as another challenge to the development of the news industry, leading to the decline of journalism's public nature. Nonetheless, the positive effects of news avoidance should not be overlooked. In order to explore the possibility of positive utilization of news avoidance, this paper defines the positive utilization of news avoidance by reviewing the existing literature based on the definition, classification, causes and impacts of news avoidance. The research finds that the public's short-term news avoidance behavior helps to reduce exposure to the news with negative content or of low quality, thereby effectively reducing the generation and development of individual negative emotions. That is, the public can achieve self-protection by positively utilizing news avoidance behavior.

Keywords: News avoidance; Positive utilization; Information overload; Self-protection
Published: May 6, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.LC22607
Volume: CHR Vol.57
pp. 57-61
Download PDF

References

  1. Morten Skovsgaard & Kim Andersen.(2019).Conceptualizing News Avoidance: Towards a Shared Understanding of Different Causes and Potential Solutions.Journalism Studies(4),1-18.
  2. Chang Jiang & Li Sixue.(2022).News Avoidance within a Digital Media Ecosystem: Meanings, Logics and Coping Strategies.Nanjing Journal of Social Sciences (09),100-109.doi:10.15937/j.cnki.issn1001-8263.2022.09.010.
  3. Skovsgaard, M., & Andersen, K. (2022). News avoidance. In The SAGE encyclopedia of journalism (Vol. 4, pp. 1099-1103). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781544391199
  4. Qiangyue Xin & Kong Yuqin.(2022).News Avoidance and Its Realistic Influence in the Post-Truth Era: Based on a Dialectical Perspective.Editors Friend (01), 38-43. doi: 10.13786/j.cnki.cn14-1066/g2.2022.1.006
  5. Li Xiang.(2023)News Avoidance in the new media environment: Causes, influences and coping strategies.Voice & Screen World (16),15-18.
  6. Damstra Alyt,Vliegenthart Rens,Boomgaarden Hajo,Glüer Kathrin,Lindgren Elina,Strömbäck Jesper & Tsfati Yariv.(2023).Knowledge and the News: An Investigation of the Relation Between News Use, News Avoidance, and the Presence of (Mis)beliefs.The International Journal of Press/Politics(1),29-48.
  7. Williams Fayne Miya.(2024).News Coping and Resistance: An Examination of Entertainment as Self-Care in the Digital Black Press.Journalism Studies(3),260-277.
  8. Song Haeyeop,Jung Jaemin & Kim Youngju.(2017).Perceived News Overload and Its Cognitive and Attitudinal Consequences for News Usage in South Korea.Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly(4),1172-1190.
  9. Yin Le & Shen Zhe.(2023). News Choice under Digital Ecology: The connotation logic and coping Path of news avoidance from a constructive Perspective.Youth Journalist (05), 9-13.doi:10.15997/j.cnki.qnjz.2023.05.006.
  10. Biao Li, Xue Zhang & Linxuan Gao.(2021). From Managing News to Avoiding News: Change in News Consumption Patterns in the Environment of Social Distribution.Journal of Journalism & Communication Studies (09),23-38+126.
  11. Wan Xuanao & Liu Cong.(2022). Can one stay Informed without actively seeking news? -- Research on the influence of the perception of "news find me" on the knowledge effect of micro-blog. News and Writing (02),77-88.