Misunderstanding News Audiences

Eiri Elvestad is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University College of Southeast Norway. She is the author of two books, including one concerned with Norwegian adolescents’ relationship to news, and she has written several articles in international journals about the changing media environment and news exposure.Angela Phillips is Professor of Journalism at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. She worked as a journalist for print and online publications, as well as in broadcasting, before focusing on academic research in ethical working practices and news audiences. Her last book was Journalism in Context (2015).

"This is a powerfully written, well-researched myth-buster that demolishes standard arguments about the role of the Internet in fostering global understanding, bottom-up journalism, the wisdom of crowds, social trust and sense of community. It is an important book for students of journalism around the world."James Curran, Department of Media and Communications, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK"In this well-written and important book, Elvestad and Phillips are diligent in their examination of the many myths that have developed about the role of the Internet and its impact on news audiences."Toril Aalberg, Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

• Chapter One: Introduction; Chapter Two: Personalisation is democratisation; Chapter Three: We are all journalists now; Chapter Four: The wisdom of crowds? How algorithms rule online; Chapter Five: Globalisation; Chapter Six: Communities online are replacing communities offline; Chapter Seven: The end of trust in mainstream media; Chapter Eight: The net generation will revolutionise the way we relate to news; Chapter Nine: Conclusion