Selective Exposure Effects for Positive and Negative News: Testing the Robustness of the Informational Utility Model

Selective exposure to Internet news articles was hypothesized to increase with higher informational utility of news, defined by the informational-utility model according to dimensions of magnitude, likelihood, and immediacy of consequences. Data were collected in Germany and the United States to investigate the robustness of predictions for both positive and negative news, as the model pertains to reports on opportunities and threats. The computerized 2×3×2 experiment manipulated utility intensity (low/high) and utility dimension (magnitude/likelihood/immediacy). Country (United States/Germany) was incorporated as a moderating variable. Online news exposure was unobtrusively recorded as repeated measures. Findings show high informational utility increased selective exposure to both negative and positive news, regardless of cultural setting.