Motivations for Sharing News on Social Media

Abstract

Social media have become an important part of everyday communication, and a platform for sharing and 're-sharing' of information. We discover news through our social networks and pass some of what we encounter along to others in those same networks. Numerous studies focus on the sharing of personal information (both online and offline) but less research examines practices related to the sharing of news---especially sharing via social media. Understanding why we choose to share news and non-personal content online is vital in a world where we increasingly turn to social media and our online social networks for news and information about the world around us. This research explores factors that influence our decision to share and re-share non-personal content with others in an online environment, specifically the choices we make when we share news.