The effectiveness of new media among youths : an experimental investigation

Abstract

'The medium changes the message' is a well-known adage. This study sets out to see if it does. The objective is to understand which news delivery platform has the most effect. It is assumed that presentation and method influences us to form opinions, not only content. To investigate this, an experimental approach was adopted that seeks to answer the question: Does the same news item on three different news platforms, namely: (1) newspapers, (2) online blogs and (3) video news, impact differently the perceived constructs (1) source credibility (2) content believability, (3) likability, and ( 4) attitude toward the message? Data was collected from among university students. Results showed that source credibility did not differ for the three platforms, indicating that respondents did not find one platform less credible than another. However, differences were observed on each of content believability, likability and attitude toward the message. Newspapers scored highest in all of these. Blogs came second in both content believability and likability while video news came second in attitude toward the message. The results suggest that the medium does change the message and newspapers as a platform retain an advantage despite the arrival of alternative new media platforms represented by blogs and video news. While the limitations of the research are noted, this research can lead to a better understanding of media, especially in the field of news reporting. It also highlights the need for news companies to better understand the medium they use to deliver their product.