Author(s)

Xiaoting Xu ¹, Zhou Hong ²

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Communication, Dankook University, Yongin, South Korea
² College of Humanities, Nanjing Normal University Zhongbei College, Nanjing, China

Corresponding Author

Zhou Hong

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the MZ generation group aged 18-40. Through the moderating effect of social media, it explores the influence of NFM (news finds me) perception on social attention. The research results show that NFM perception has a significant negative impact on social attention, and the intensity of social media usage plays a moderating role in the relationship between the two. That is, a high intensity of social media usage will intensify the negative impact of NFM perception on social attention, while a low intensity of social media usage can alleviate this impact to a certain extent. This research provides a new perspective for understanding the information behavior and social cognition of the MZ generation in the new media environment, and has certain guiding significance for related practices. 

KEYWORDS

NFM Perception Social Attention; Social Media Usage; The MZ Era

CITE THIS PAPER

Xiaoting Xu, Zhou Hong, The Impact of NFM Perception of the MZ Generation Group on Social Attention: An Exploration through the Moderating Role of Social Media Use. Media and Communication Research (2025) Vol. 6: 62-68. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/mediacr.2025.060408.

REFERENCES

[1] Gil de Zúñiga H, Cheng Z. Origin and evolution of the News Finds Me perception: Review of theory and effects[J]. Media Influence on Opinion Change and Democracy: How Private, Public and Social Media Organizations Shape Public Opinion, 2024: 151-179.
[2] De Zuniga H G, Strauss N, Huber B. The proliferation of the "news finds me" perception across societies[J]. International journal of communication, 2020, 14: 29.
[3] Strauß N, Huber B, Gil de Zúñiga H. Structural influences on the News Finds Me perception: Why people believe they don't have to actively seek news anymore[J]. Social media+ society, 2021, 7(2): 54-59.
[4] Campbell S W, Hawkins I. Social (media) psychology of the "news-finds-me" perception: habits, mindsets, and beliefs[J]. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2025, 30(5): 14-17.
[5] Boczkowski P J, Mitchelstein E, Matassi M. "News comes across when I'm in a moment of leisure": Understanding the practices of incidental news consumption on social media[J]. New media & society, 2018, 20(10): 3523-3539.
[6] Merten L, Metoui N, Makhortykh M, et al. News won’t find me? Exploring inequalities in social media news use with tracking data[J]. International Journal of Communication, 2022, 16: 21.
[7] Lee T, Johnson T, Jia C, et al. How social media users become misinformed: The roles of news-finds-me perception and misinformation exposure in COVID-19 misperception[J]. New Media & Society, 2025, 27(3): 1730-1751.
[8] Su Y, Luo C, Borah P. Learning about climate change with algorithmic news? A two-wave panel study examining the role of "news-finds-me" perception[J]. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2024, 29(5): 12-20.
[9] Gil de Zúñiga H, Weeks B, Ardèvol-Abreu A. Effects of the news-finds-me perception in communication: Social media use implications for news seeking and learning about politics[J]. Journal of computer-mediated communication, 2017, 22(3): 105-123.
[10] Lee S. Probing the mechanisms through which social media erodes political knowledge: The role of the news-finds-me perception[M]//Social media news and its impact. Routledge, 2021: 51-73.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
  
  
• Information and Knowledge Management
  
  
• Military and Armament Science
  
  
• Journal of Human Movement Science
  
  
• Art and Performance Letters
  
  
• Lecture Notes on History
  
  
• Lecture Notes on Language and Literature
  
  
• Philosophy Journal
  
  
• Science of Law Journal
  
  
• Journal of Political Science Research
  
  
• Journal of Sociology and Ethnology
  
  
• Advances in Broadcasting