This paper aims to test the hypothesis of whether digital media increases consumption of heterogeneous information. There are three good reasons for testing this hypothesis. First, the question of how digital media is shaping modes of exposure is contentious in the literature. While some scholars argue that digital media fosters selective exposure and increases consumption of more like-minded information others contend that it increases cross-cutting exposure and hence consumption of more heterogeneous information. Second, Internet scholars tend to assume that digital media facilitates consumption of more heterogeneous information but with few exceptions they have not tested this assumption. Third, modes of exposure are likely to have consequences on public opinion and on the quality of democracy. The paper uses data at the aggregate level on audience duplication for the top 50 most-visited Spanish digital media and data at the individual level on browsing behavior for a panel of 600 individuals.
