Empowered by Curation: Spatial Differentiation in the Interrelationship Between Social Media Political Curation, Political Competence, and Trust—The Case of Michigan

This study examines geographic variations in the relationship between social media political curation and political trust. Analyzing survey data from the U.S. state of Michigan, findings reveal a positive relationship between social media political curation and internal political efficacy, which is stronger among rural residents compared to urban counterparts. Moreover, this geographic pattern extends to trust in state government; the positive indirect relationship between social media political curation and trust in state government via increased internal political efficacy is only observed among rural residents. These results highlight social media’s potential as a civic platform that can connect geographically disconnected communities to politics.