Digital media have changed news consumption patterns: In addition to the classic information channels such as television, newspapers and radio, there are now countless digital information offerings that also have a repercussion on the users. It has been generally assumed that social media offerings and search engines use algorithms to create filter bubbles and echo chambers in which the opinions of users are uncritically reinforced. However, a study by researchers from GESIS, the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (JGU) and the University of Hohenheim, using an innovative measurement of the web browsing behavior of more than 5,000 German internet users, shows that the use of Facebook, Twitter, Google and the like is accompanied by more visits to news sites and a greater variety of visited news sites.
"How social network sites and other online intermediaries increase exposure to news"
by Michael Scharkow, Frank Mangold , Sebastian Stier, and Johannes Breuer