Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
Reference Hub3
Social Media, Participation, and Attitudes: Does Social Media Drive Polarization?

Social Media, Participation, and Attitudes: Does Social Media Drive Polarization?

Justin W. Holmes, Ramona Sue McNeal
Copyright: © 2016 |Pages: 21
ISBN13: 9781466698796|ISBN10: 1466698799|EISBN13: 9781466698802
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9879-6.ch001
Cite Chapter Cite Chapter

MLA

Holmes, Justin W., and Ramona Sue McNeal. "Social Media, Participation, and Attitudes: Does Social Media Drive Polarization?." (R)evolutionizing Political Communication through Social Media, edited by Tomaž Deželan and Igor Vobič, IGI Global, 2016, pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9879-6.ch001

APA

Holmes, J. W. & McNeal, R. S. (2016). Social Media, Participation, and Attitudes: Does Social Media Drive Polarization?. In T. Deželan & I. Vobič (Eds.), (R)evolutionizing Political Communication through Social Media (pp. 1-21). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9879-6.ch001

Chicago

Holmes, Justin W., and Ramona Sue McNeal. "Social Media, Participation, and Attitudes: Does Social Media Drive Polarization?." In (R)evolutionizing Political Communication through Social Media, edited by Tomaž Deželan and Igor Vobič, 1-21. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2016. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9879-6.ch001

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite

Abstract

A wide body of evidence shows that the American electorate has become more politically polarized in recent years. There are a wide variety of explanations for this trend, including selective exposure to ideological news sources. This trend corresponds with the increased use of social media for political discussion. There are competing theories regarding whether the spread social media exacerbates or attenuates polarization in the evaluation of political and social groups. The purpose of this chapter is to evaluate these competing claims. This topic is explored using multivariate regression analysis and individual level data from the 2012 American National Election Time Series Study. The findings suggest that social media use actually attenuates rather than drives polarization.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.