Polarization as a Function of Citizen Predispositions and Exposure to News on the Internet
Abstract
Observers of democratic polities decry a seeming increase in social and political polarization. This article outlines the conditions under which Internet-based news exposure can facilitate polarization. Analyses of data from a nationally representative United States panel study reveal that frequency of news consumption over the Internet can widen disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over a wide range of social and political issues. The results reveal few signs of a similar Internet news exposure effect for disagreement linked to race and income. These findings point to some possible mechanisms of, and limitations to, processes driving social and political polarization.
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A general conclusion of past research on selective exposure is that exposure to confirmatory information strengthens existing opinions.
“A general conclusion of past research on selective exposure is that exposure to confirmatory information strengthens existing opinions (Stroud, 2011;Sunstein, 2001;Tewksbury & Riles, 2015).”
From Do Search Algorithms Endanger Democracy? An Experimental Investigation of Algorithm Effects on Political Polarization (2020) · cites this paper as Tewksbury & Riles, 2015
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- Authors
- Tewksbury, D., & Riles, J. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2015-07-03
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 381-398
- ISSN
- 0883-8151 (ISSN-L)
- 1550-6878
- OpenAlex
- W2115206570
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 13.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
- Keywords
- political polarization, social polarization, online news consumption, partisan disagreement, Democrats and Republicans, news media influence
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