Following Professional Journalists on Social Media and Paying Intent for Online News: A Moderated Mediation Model in Spain and Germany

Amidst the challenges faced by news organizations due to a culture of free access and the transition to digital subscription models, this study examines how following professional journalism on social media relates to the intent to pay for online news. We propose a moderated mediation model, where following professionaljournalism on social media influences paying intent through interest in paywalled content, moderated by exposure to paywalled information. Using survey data from Spain (N = 2337) and Germany (N = 2213), our findings reveal a positive and statistically significant association between (1) following professional journalism on social media and interest in paywalled content, (2) interest in paywalled content and paying intent, and (3) following professional journalism on social media and paying intent. Furthermore, in Germany, the moderated mediation analysis shows that higher exposure to paywalled content strengthens the indirect effect, reinforcing the link between following journalists, interest in paywalled content, and paying intent. These findings contribute to research on the economics of online news, highlighting the role of social media in fostering readers interest in paid content and its implications for the financial sustainability of news organizations.