The Power of Algorithm: How Algorithmic Trust Shapes the “News Finds Me” Perception Among Gen Z

This study examines how social media use and algorithmic influence shape algorithmic trust, in turn, how algorithmic trust contributes to the formation of the News Finds Me (NFM) perception among Generation Z users. Drawing on the conceptualization of social media as an everyday information environment, this study argues that routine exposure to algorithmically curated content fosters reliance on platform systems, thereby reshaping contemporary news-conception orientations. Specifically, in this study, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted with Gen-Z college students in Türkiye (N=592), who represent the generation that will drive the digital media landscape. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS, employing correlation analysis and path analysis to test the proposed research model. The finding indicates that social media use has a significant positive effect on algorithmic trust, whereas algorithmic influence has a significant negative effect on algorithmic trust. Furthermore, algorithmic trust is a strong predictor of all dimensions of NFM perception, including feeling sufficiently informed without actively seeking news, reduced motivation for purposive news consumption, and reliance on peers for news exposure. Overall, the result highlights algorithmic trust as a key psychological mechanism underpinning passive news consumption practice in an algorithmically mediated information environment. This study contributes to communication research by clarifying how trust in platform systems redistributes responsibility for staying informed in contemporary digital landscapes.