WhatsApp with Politics?!

Abstract

With an increasing number of people, especially adolescents, using more private online platforms, such as WhatsApp, for news, an important question for democracy is whether such platforms can facilitate learning about politics and current events. In this study, we examine adolescents’ affective (emotions, feelings), behavioral (actions and behavioral intentions), and cognitive (political knowledge) responses to interpersonal political discussion on WhatsApp. We conducted a preregistered field experiment at six secondary schools in the Netherlands ( N = 230). We assigned respondents with strong ties to a WhatsApp group. For seven days, respondents received a link to an online political news item on a daily basis; and (1) either had to read or (2) read and discuss it. The results indicate that interpersonal discussion evokes stronger positive emotions and feelings, as well as issue-specific knowledge. In addition, elaboration on the content of political discussion was positively related to issue-specific knowledge. In this way, instant messaging apps may serve as a resource for engaging adolescents with politics and current events.

Capítulo 11. La campaña por mensajería instantánea: Uso de los partidos de WhatsApp y Telegram en las elecciones del 28A

“…La investigación en WhatsApp presenta dificultades por su carácter privado, pues supone un escenario en el que los contenidos son enviados de forma privada y no pueden auditarse por terceras personas sin que estas tengan permiso; es por ello que todavía no es un fenómeno muy estudiado. Experimentos exploratorios como el que realizan Vermeer et al (2020) con adolescentes arrojan algo de luz en el campo. Ellos analizan las implicaciones que la discusión política en grupos cerrados de WhatsApp puede tener para la democracia, y concluyen que las discusiones políticas en estos foros provocan sentimientos positivos en los participantes, pues al crearse redes sociales homogéneas estas discusiones promueven esperanza y entusiasmo.…”

Does Social Media Use Polarize or Depolarize Political Opinion in China? Explaining Opinion Polarization Within an Extended Communication Mediation Model

“…Thus, the more exposure people have to social media content related to an issue, the more likely they are to discuss it within their social networks. This mechanism facilitates a thorough exchange of political views in both offline and online settings (Vermeer et al, 2021). Previous studies have demonstrated the possibility of transferring online expressions to networks originally built through offline ties like family, school, and the workplace (Wojcieszak, 2009).…”

Establishing ties or strengthening friendships? Students' use of online social networks in intercultural friendship development

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