Inoculation theory and public relations

Compton, Josh; Wigley, Shelley; Samoilenko, Sergei A.

doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102116

Cited by 15 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Recent advancements of inoculation theory have pointed to how inoculation on social media (vs. traditional media sources) may in some cases lead to divergent results. For example, there are mixed results for the effectiveness of inoculation in the context of public relations on social media (e.g., Compton et al, 2021b). This suggests that it is paramount to consider the effectiveness of the polarizing content warning in social media settings.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Not only have inoculation scholars argued for the importance of considering the communication context for inoculation messaging (e.g., traditional vs social media; Compton et al, 2021b), but the source of these messages also may play an important role. Advancements in inoculation theory suggest that it is important to consider the source of these messages (for review see Compton & Pfau, 2005), arguably because factors like source trust and credibility are essential for whether warnings of threats and counter arguments against threats are persuasive (see Compton et al, 2021a for discussion).…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Polarizing Content Warning: How the Media Can Reduce Affective Polarization

Kubin,

von Sikorski

2024

Preprint

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Past research suggests journalists can (unintentionally) exacerbate affective polarization when reporting on growing levels of polarization in society. However, is there a way for journalists to report on the realities of growing political polarization without dividing people further? In our research with 5 preregistered experimental studies (N=3,414) we develop the polarizing content warning which, based on inoculation theory, warns readers that scientific research suggests reading news content about political polarization may drive further affective polarization. Results indicate that the polarizing content warning can be used both with online news articles and on social media sites and is able to indirectly reduce affective polarization of readers. Additionally, the polarizing content warning is beneficial both when presented alongside news content and beforehand, and reduces readers’ perceptions of societal polarization, in turn reducing affective polarization. This warning allows journalists to report on societal polarization without further dividing people.

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Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%