Cited by 289Social Media and PoliticsMedia Influence and PoliticsMisinformation and Its Impacts

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The New Personal Influence: How Our Facebook Friends Influence the News We Read

Anspach, Nicolas M.·2017·Political Communication

DOI 10.1080/10584609.2017.1316329

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Abstract

Has the introduction of social media into the information landscape changed the heuristics individuals use when selecting news? Social media allow users to easily share and endorse political content. These features facilitate personal influence, possibly increasing the salience of partisan information, making users more likely to read endorsed content. To test this possibility, I utilize snowball sampling to conduct a survey experiment featuring mock Facebook News Feeds. These feeds contain different levels of social media activity attributed to different sources, varying from fictional individuals to subjects’ own friends and family members. I find that online endorsements and discussions serve as heuristics when deciding which content to consume, outweighing partisan selectivity. This effect is only significant when the activity comes from friends or family members, as social influence attributed to fictional individuals has no effect on information selectivity.

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References
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Authors: Anspach, N. M.
Affiliations: York College of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author: Anspach, Nicolas M.
ORCID: Anspach, Nicolas M.
Venue: Political Communication
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2017-05-23
Volume: 34
Issue: 4
Pages: 590-606
ISSN: 1058-4609 (ISSN-L)
1091-7675
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2017.1316329
OpenAlex: W2618838623
Cited by: 289
References: 69
Citations by year: 2026: 6 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 2
FWCI: 62.99
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Political Communication (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
Keywords: personal influence, social media, news selection, Facebook, political information, social influence, news consumption, snowball sampling

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The New Personal Influence: How Our Facebook Friends Influence the News We Read

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