scholarly journals Discussion Network Activation: An Expanded Approach to Selective Exposure

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 32-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Selective Exposure ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Political News ◽  
Political Beliefs ◽  
Network Activation ◽  
Information Exposure

Studies of selective exposure have focused on use of traditional media sources. However, discussion networks are an integral part of individuals’ information diets. This article extends the selective exposure literature by exploring the potential for networks to likewise be selectively accessed. A pre-registered experiment found that participants nominate denser, more ideologically coherent networks in response to congenial political news relative to uncongenial news, and express willingness to share it with more people. Analysis of open-ended data suggest shared political beliefs are more likely to motivate discussant selection in response to congenial, rather than uncongenial, news. Properties of networks generated in response to political and non-political news did not vary. These results provide nuance to our understanding of political information exposure.

scholarly journals Incidental Exposure, Selective Exposure, and Political Information Sharing: Integrating Online Exposure Patterns and Expression on Social Media

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 363-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian E. Weeks ◽  
Daniel S. Lane ◽  
Dam Hee Kim ◽  
Slgi S. Lee ◽  
Nojin Kwak
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Selective Exposure ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Party Affiliation ◽  
Information Exposure ◽  
Incidental Exposure ◽  
Exposure Patterns ◽  
Political Party Affiliation

Political information sharing in social media offers citizens opportunities to engage with news and express their political views, but how do different patterns of online political information exposure, including both incidental and selective exposure, affect sharing? Using two-wave panel survey data collected in the United States, we examine the relationship between incidental and selective exposure and their consequent links to political information sharing, across different levels of strength of political party affiliation. Our results demonstrate that incidental exposure to counter-attitudinal information drives stronger partisans to more actively seek out like-minded political content, which subsequently encourages political information sharing on social media. The results highlight the need to consider both types of political information exposure when modeling citizens' political behavior online.

scholarly journals Testing popular news discourse on the “echo chamber” effect: Does political polarisation occur among those relying on social media as their primary politics news source?

First Monday ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
An Nguyen ◽  
Hong Tien Vu
Keyword(s):  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Political News ◽  
Political Beliefs ◽  
News Discourse ◽  
News Source ◽  
Echo Chamber ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes ◽  
Chamber Effect

Since 2016, online social networks (OSNs), especially their “big data” algorithms, have been intensively blamed in popular news discourse for acting as echo chambers. These chambers entrap like-minded voters in closed ideological circles that cause serious damage to democratic processes. This study examines this “echo chamber” argument through the rather divisive case of EU politics among EU citizens. Based on an exploratory secondary analysis of the Eurobarometer 86.2 survey dataset, we investigate whether the reliance on OSNs as a primary EU political news source can lead people to more polarisation in EU-related political beliefs and attitudes than a reliance on traditional media. We found little evidence for this polarisation, lending credence to a rejection of social media’s “echo chamber” effect.

Now We’re Talking? Understanding the Interplay Between Online Selective and Incidental Exposure and Their Influence on Online Cross-Cutting Political Discussion

2020 ◽  
pp. 089443932092079
Author(s):  
Nojin Kwak ◽  
Daniel S. Lane ◽  
Brian E. Weeks ◽  
Dam Hee Kim ◽  
Slgi S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Selective Exposure ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Political Discussion ◽  
Information Exposure ◽  
Incidental Exposure ◽  
The Impact

This study examines how two distinct patterns of online political information exposure—pro-attitudinal selective exposure and counter-attitudinal incidental exposure—can work together to influence engagement in online cross-cutting political discussion. Using panel data from a two-wave national survey conducted in 2012, we test two competing theoretical accounts. Findings suggest that incidental exposure affects selective exposure’s contribution to cross-cutting discussion in a curvilinear way. Incidental exposure strengthens the impact of selective exposure on cross-cutting discussion up until a certain point, after which it begins to attenuate its impact. Results emphasize the need to account for the multiple ways people encounter political information online.

scholarly journals Misinformation and Polarization in a High-Choice Media Environment: How Effective Are Political Fact-Checkers?

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hameleers ◽  
Toni G. L. A. van der Meer
Keyword(s):  
Selective Exposure ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
Political News ◽  
Political Beliefs ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Corrective Information

One of the most fundamental changes in today’s political information environment is an increasing lack of communicative truthfulness. To explore this worrisome phenomenon, this study aims to investigate the effects of political misinformation by integrating three theoretical approaches: (1) misinformation, (2) polarization, and (3) selective exposure. In this article, we examine the role of fact-checkers in discrediting polarized misinformation in a fragmented media environment. We rely on two experiments ( N = 1,117) in which we vary exposure to attitudinal-congruent or incongruent political news and a follow-up fact-check article debunking the information. Participants were either forced to see or free to select a fact-checker. Results show that fact-checkers can be successful as they (1) lower agreement with attitudinally congruent political misinformation and (2) can overcome political polarization. Moreover, dependent on the issue, fact-checkers are most likely to be selected when they confirm prior attitudes and avoided when they are incongruent, indicating a confirmation bias for selecting corrective information. The freedom to select or avoid fact-checkers does not have an impact on political beliefs.

scholarly journals Credibility of Digital Political News in Spain: Comparison between Traditional Media and Social Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Reinald Besalú ◽  
Carles Pont-Sorribes
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
News Item ◽  
Digital Television ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Political News ◽  
Digital News ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Digital Formats

In the context of the dissemination of fake news and the traditional media outlets’ loss of centrality, the credibility of digital news emerges as a key factor for today’s democracies. The main goal of this paper was to identify the levels of credibility that Spanish citizens assign to political news in the online environment. A national survey (n = 1669) was designed to assess how the news format affected credibility and likelihood of sharing. Four different news formats were assessed, two of them linked to traditional media (digital newspapers and digital television) and two to social media (Facebook and WhatsApp). Four experimental groups assigned a credibility score and a likelihood of sharing score to four different political news items presented in the aforementioned digital formats. The comparison between the mean credibility scores assigned to the same news item presented in different formats showed significant differences among groups, as did the likelihood of sharing the news. News items shown in a traditional media format, especially digital television, were assigned more credibility than news presented in a social media format, and participants were also more likely to share the former, revealing a more cautious attitude towards social media as a source of news.

Revived and Refreshed

2011 ◽  
pp. 196-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Johnson ◽  
Shannon L. Bichard ◽  
Weiwu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Strong Support ◽  
Selective Exposure ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Online Panel ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Political Networks

This study uses an online panel of Internet users to examine the degree to which those who visit U.S. political websites and blogs practice selective exposure as they construct their individual political networks. Specifically, the analysis addresses the extent to which individuals say they visit websites and blogs with which they agree and disagree. The findings indicate strong support for the detection of selective exposure in this context. Reliance on political websites and blogs as well as partisanship emerged as predictors of selective exposure for political information after controlling for demographic and political factors.

The Problem of Political Ignorance

2021 ◽  
pp. 156-187
Author(s):  
Maxime Lepoutre
Keyword(s):  
Social Group ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Group Cognition ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Political Beliefs ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Group Identities ◽  
Epistemic Function ◽  
Scientific Questions

This chapter turns to the problem that political ignorance poses for democratic public discourse. It is often held (1) that ordinary citizens know too little to engage competently in public debates about politics and (2) that, because of the influence of group identity on political beliefs (or ‘group cognition’), this problematic ignorance is here to stay. The chapter argues that this influential worry fails, because it misunderstands the epistemic function of social group identities. The experiences involved in being a member of a particular social group are epistemically useful for deciding whose political judgment and what political information to trust. This is true even when it comes to scientific questions that bear on political issues, and even when people are dogmatically committed to their group perspectives. So, group cognition constitutes a useful tool for managing and overcoming political ignorance—and, by extension, for defusing the threat it raises for public discourse.

scholarly journals Campaign-Specific Information and Media Effects

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Francois Daoust ◽  
Katherine V.R. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Selection Bias ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Bias Effect ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Electoral Democracy ◽  
Nous Utilisons

Background  This article aims to revisit the role of digital media in acquiring campaign-specific information.Analysis  We use datasets from the Making Electoral Democracy Work project that include campaign-specific questions to analyze six regions in three democracies (Canada, Spain, and France).Conclusion and implications  Results demonstrate that voters have a moderate level of campaign-specific knowledge and that traditional media are, at first glance, more useful to acquire political information. Nevertheless, when in interaction with partisanship, traditional media display a surprisingly greater selection bias effect and appear less useful to acquire information. We thus argue that digital media are in fact not more vulnerable to potential echo chambers that would lead to a homogenous information environment.Contexte  Cet article cherche revoir le rôle numériques des medias dans l’acquisition d’information de campagne.Analyse  Nous utilisons les données du projet Making Electoral Democracy Work qui inclut des question d’information politique spécifiques de campagnes électorales pour analyser six regions dans trois démocraties (Canada, Espagne et France).Conclusion et implications  Les résultats démontrent que les électeurs ont un niveau modéré d’information politique de campagnes électorales et que les medias traditionnels sont, à première vue, plus utiles pour en faire l’acquisition. Néanmoins, en interaction avec les individus partisans, ces médias traditionnels sont l’objet d’un biais de sélection plus important et apparaissent donc moins utiles. Nous soutenons donc que les médias numériques ne sont pas plus vulnérable aux de chambre d’écho qui mènerait à un environnement d’information homogène.

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