#PolarizedFeeds: Three Experiments on Polarization, Framing, and Social Media

Abstract

Does exposure to social media polarize users or simply sort out like-minded voters based on their preexisting beliefs? In this paper, we conduct three survey experiments to assess the direct and unconditioned effect of exposure to tweets on perceived ideological polarization of candidates and parties. We show that subjects treated with negative tweets see greater ideological distance between presidential nominees and between their parties. We also demonstrate that polarization increases with processing time. We demonstrate a social media effect on perceived polarization beyond that due to the self-selection of like-minded users into different media communities. We explain our results as the result of social media frames that increase contrast effects between voters and candidates.

Will I Get COVID-19? Partisanship, Social Media Frames, and Perceptions of Health Risk in Brazil

“…In social media networks, partisan messages frame events by altering the frequency of words, handles, and images (frame elements) that focus users' attention on particular partisan traits (Aruguete and Calvo 2018;Lin et al 2014). Posts are made accessible to users when peers publish content that makes salient moral evaluations of blame attribution by increasing the frequency of loaded terms (i.e., the "Chinese virus"), as well as cognitive assessments of likely threats (i.e., "just a cold" [uma gripezinha ou resfriadinho]) (Banks et al 2020). Framing is critically dependent on individuals' willingness to share content they observe in their social media feeds (i.e., cascading activation in networks (Aruguete and Calvo 2018).…”

“…Like that of Banks et al (2020), which models the effect of anger on preferences, our experiment presents respondents with a particular type of frame, procedural or generic, which alters the perceived legitimacy of the actors' response to a crisis (Entman 1993). We then inquire about how much negative and positive frames alter voters' evaluations of government performance and, more important, their relative perceptions of job security and health risk.…”

“…We expect the opposite effects when cognitive dissonance interacts with negative social media content. As shown by Banks et al (2020), exposure to negative, dissonant social media messages increases contrast effects (Merrill et al 2003) and heightens perceived polarization, increasing party identity responses and reducing support for the government. After being exposed to negative messages by an outgroup politician, Banks et al show, voters perceived ideological distance increases (contrast), driving responses to align further with their in-group beliefs.…”

“…Second, findings may be weak because the frames did not elicit the expected emotional response to the negative or positive tweets posted by the in-group or outgroup politician. Following Banks et al (2020), we expect the mediation mechanism ("anger") to activate partisan identities and increase perceptions of risk among opposition and independent voters. This would be consistent with results from the difference-in-difference analysis of Bolsonaro's speech.…”

Retos del periodismo frente a las redes sociales, las fake news y la desconfianza de la generación Z

“…Los principales focos de producción de noticias falsas son las redes sociales y las páginas webs. Según Banks (2020), por estos canales su difusión es más extensa, efectiva y profunda que las informaciones veraces debido a las reacciones que suscitan y a la rapidez de alcance con el público. Si antes de la crisis mundial por la COVID-19 la desinformación suponía un obstáculo importante para la libertad de información de la ciudadanía, la pandemia aceleró este problema por la ansiedad que se generó a causa del encierro.…”