Living in a (Mediated) Political World: Mindfulness, Problematic News Consumption, and Political Hostility

Abstract

The present research draws from the work in narrative transportation to examine the impact of problematic news consumption (PNC) on increased political hostility among partisans. Because individuals with high levels of PNC tend to become absorbed and fixated on the mediated political world, which is filled with exaggerated depictions of political conflict, they should be more prone to view those who disagree with them as “enemies,” leading to an increased likelihood of getting into fights, flaming, and even becoming radicalized. We explore this relationship, along with the role of dispositional mindfulness as a protective mechanism that reduces susceptibility toward PNC and, in turn, political hostility, across two surveys—a cross-sectional survey and a two-wave longitudinal survey. Our findings provide strong support for our hypothesized model: dispositional mindfulness relates to lower levels of political hostility indirectly through its relationship to PNC, particularly among those with higher levels of conflict-approach orientation.