Unintentional Encounters: Unraveling the Relationships Between Incidental News Exposure, Cognitive Elaboration, Digital Affordances, and Factual Knowledge

In an increasingly saturated news environment, individuals often encounter information through incidental news exposure (INE). Drawing upon a refined cognitive mediation model, this study employs a two-wave panel survey to examine the relationship between social media INE and factual knowledge about COVID-19. While INE was not directly associated with factual knowledge, it demonstrated a positive indirect association with it through cognitive elaboration. This mediated relationship was further moderated by users' engagement with digital affordances: greater use of social media affordances strengthened the indirect pathway from INE to knowledge. These findings illuminate the complex interplay among digital affordances, incidental exposure, and cognitive processing in shaping health learning.