Role of social media news consumption in cultivating opinion polarization

Labeeba Kothur, Vidushi Pandey
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Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the mechanisms through which social media news consumption across different platforms leads to opinion polarization in society. To this end, the authors draw from cultivation theory to examine whether social media news consumption imparts a mainstreaming or resonance effect. Media consumption imparts a mainstreaming effect if frequent users, regardless of their social identity, develop homogenous attitudes about issues, whereas resonance is at play if there is a differing cultivation effect on various social groups depending on their relatability of life experiences.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct the study in the developing context of India, using a population survey dataset from 2019. Regression-based mediation and moderation analyses were carried out to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings reveal that resonance is the most prominent mechanism through which social media news consumption cultivates opinion polarization, contrary to the mainstreaming effect imparted by television. Further, WhatsApp use was found to strengthen the polarizing effect of overall social media news consumption, while YouTube use weakened the cultivation of polarization.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper unearths how social media news consumption influences the opinion polarization of various social groups differently. The authors also find the differential effect of specific platform use. These findings have the potential to inform policymakers and developers about how to mitigate the detrimental effects of platform-based political persuasion.Originality/valueThis study offers significant contributions. First, the authors explain social media-induced polarization using the novel theoretical lens of cultivation. Second, the authors find that social media and television news consumption differ in their polarizing effects. Third, the authors find that while WhatsApp use amplifies the polarizing effect of social media news consumption, YouTube use weakens it.
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社交媒体新闻消费在培养舆论极化中的作用
本文旨在探讨不同平台的社交媒体新闻消费导致社会意见两极分化的机制。为此,笔者借鉴培养理论,考察社交媒体新闻消费是否具有主流化效应或共鸣效应。如果经常使用媒体的人,不管他们的社会身份如何,对问题的态度都是同质化的,那么媒体消费就会产生主流化效应,而如果不同的社会群体根据他们的生活经历的相关性产生不同的培养效应,那么共鸣就会起作用。作者在印度发展的背景下进行了这项研究,使用了2019年的人口调查数据集。采用基于回归的中介和调节分析对假设进行检验。研究结果表明,与电视赋予的主流化效应相反,共振是社交媒体新闻消费培育意见两极分化的最突出机制。此外,WhatsApp的使用强化了整体社交媒体新闻消费的两极分化效应,而YouTube的使用削弱了两极分化的培养。本文揭示了社交媒体新闻消费对不同社会群体意见极化的不同影响。作者还发现了特定平台使用的差异效应。这些发现有可能告诉决策者和开发者如何减轻基于平台的政治说服的有害影响。原创性/价值本研究提供了重要的贡献。首先,作者用培养的新理论视角解释了社交媒体引发的两极分化。其次,作者发现社交媒体和电视新闻消费在两极分化效应上有所不同。第三,作者发现,WhatsApp的使用放大了社交媒体新闻消费的两极分化效应,而YouTube的使用削弱了这种效应。
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