Exposure to News Content in the Digital Communication Environment Through Social Media and Its Relationship with the Political and Cultural Behavior of University of Dhi Qar Students

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to news content in the digital communication environment of social media and the political and cultural behavior of students at the University of Dhi Qar. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational design. The statistical population consisted of 240 students from the College of Media at the University of Dhi Qar, and 100 complete responses were collected through an electronic questionnaire using non-probability voluntary/self-selection sampling. The instrument comprised demographic characteristics, patterns of news use, a news exposure index, and six items assessing political and cultural outcomes. The face and content validity of the instrument were confirmed through evaluation by five experts in media and communication studies. The overall reliability of the instrument was confirmed during the pilot stage with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89, while the internal consistency of the six outcome items was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.812. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, the Friedman test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank pairwise comparisons with Holm correction. The mean news exposure index was 3.14, and the mean political and cultural behavior score was 3.32. A positive and relatively strong relationship was observed between news exposure and overall behavior (rₛ = 0.592, p < 0.001). Exposure to political news was positively associated with political awareness (rₛ = 0.494), political engagement (rₛ = 0.396), and public/political participation (rₛ = 0.541). Exposure to cultural news was also associated with cultural awareness (rₛ = 0.362), cultural engagement (rₛ = 0.298), and changes in cultural interests or activities (rₛ = 0.377). The Friedman test indicated a statistically significant difference in the rankings of news types (χ² = 31.26, p < 0.001), although the effect size was small (W = 0.104). The findings indicate that, for these students, social media platforms are not merely channels for accessing news; rather, they are associated with reported patterns of awareness, discussion, and participation. Nevertheless, the cross-sectional design and voluntary sample do not permit causal inference or generalization to all university students in Iraq.