The Impact and Contribution of Online News Channels on WhatsApp Towards Reading Culture in Malaysia

WhatsApp has become a primary platform for sharing and receiving news, offering convenient access to information within Malaysian society. The widespread dissemination of online news via WhatsApp channels is believed to have influenced the reading culture in Malaysia. This study adopts a qualitative approach to explore the impact and contributions of online news shared through WhatsApp news channels on reading habits in the country. Informants were selected through purposive sampling, involving ten Malaysian adults who actively consume online news via WhatsApp news channels. The findings reveal several significant impacts and contributions of WhatsApp-based news consumption on the local reading culture. This study is expected to provide meaningful insights into the existing body of literature on the role of WhatsApp news channels in shaping reading practices in Malaysia.