The online age bombards everyone with constant, never-ending information, and many point to the news as the main reason.
It can become disorienting to follow everything that’s going on, yet people continue to absorb this deluge of data. The question is, why?
Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford conducted a “user needs” study that explores the reasons behind the world’s news consumption. They revealed the core of everyone’s desire for constant updates.
‘User needs’ and news consumption
Reuters Institute said news organizations consider audience needs carefully via the “user needs model. BBC developed it to classify news content according to people’s basic needs.
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They used that to research why people follow the news. The latest version, User Needs 2.0, identifies eight needs, but Reuters only examines four:
- Knowledge represents engagement and updates on the latest information.
- Understanding refers to news that helps readers learn more deeply about topics and events.
- Feeling pertains to news that provides entertainment and makes people feel better about the world.
- Doing involves news that makes people feel connected to others and teaches them practical information.
Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford examined 47 countries and found that 65% of their populations prioritize Knowledge and Understanding.
Fifty-five percent want news that helps them do important things. Also, 50% look for news that elicits emotions, making it the least important user need.
These UK-based institutions also examined the user needs more closely. Seventy-two percent wanted the latest updates, and 67% preferred in-depth education on specific topics.
Sixty-three percent wanted a point-of-view on subjects, and 47% followed the news as a diversion.
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Reuters said people see this user need as the least important because modern media provides abundant distractions.
Its study cites the Press Freedom Index 2024 to show the user needs per country. The index says the Philippines ranks 134th in press freedom.
That is why its top basic need priority is Knowledge. Those with higher degrees of press freedom prioritize Understanding.
The University of Oxford and the Reuters Institute concluded that news media may reach more people with inspiring or diverting content.
However, this pursuit should not come at the expense of informative coverage. This insight is especially true in the Philippines, which has lower levels of press freedom.