The Role of News Media Use and Demographic Characteristics in the Prediction of Information Overload

Drawing on the information overload theory, this study investigates how news media use relates to the probability of information overload. Our broad goal is to explore how typical media use outside the working environment impacts information overload. Through a large mail survey conducted in northwest Ohio (N = 661), the study combined resident samples and college student samples and examined several variables regarding demographic characteristics, news media use, and information searching efficiency. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Results confirmed that age, gender, income, traditional news media use, and information searching efficiency can partially predict one’s probability of experiencing information overload. Theoretical explanations for these outcomes are presented, and implications for information overload research are discussed.