{"title":"Heterogeneity of Facebook friend network facilitates political learning: Evidence from a panel survey during the 2016 US presidential campaign","authors":"Minchul Kim, Yanqin Lu, Jae Kook Lee","doi":"10.1080/03637751.2021.1882683","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of Facebook network heterogeneity on campaign knowledge gain by looking at the process where heterogeneity facilitates exposure to information about elections. Findings suggested that Facebook network heterogeneity promoted exposure to campaign information that, in turn, predicted knowledge about candidate issue positions. This indirect effect of network heterogeneity was conditioned by the level of campaign interest. To elaborate, a more heterogeneous Facebook network was positively associated with campaign knowledge for people with lower levels of campaign interest, suggesting that Facebook has the potential to narrow the knowledge gap between the politically attentive and the politically inattentive. Implications of the findings are discussed.","PeriodicalId":48176,"journal":{"name":"Communication Monographs","volume":"88 1","pages":"463 - 482"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2021-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/03637751.2021.1882683","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Communication Monographs","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2021.1882683","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"COMMUNICATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of Facebook network heterogeneity on campaign knowledge gain by looking at the process where heterogeneity facilitates exposure to information about elections. Findings suggested that Facebook network heterogeneity promoted exposure to campaign information that, in turn, predicted knowledge about candidate issue positions. This indirect effect of network heterogeneity was conditioned by the level of campaign interest. To elaborate, a more heterogeneous Facebook network was positively associated with campaign knowledge for people with lower levels of campaign interest, suggesting that Facebook has the potential to narrow the knowledge gap between the politically attentive and the politically inattentive. Implications of the findings are discussed.
期刊介绍:
Communication Monographs, published in March, June, September & December, reports original, theoretically grounded research dealing with human symbolic exchange across the broad spectrum of interpersonal, group, organizational, cultural and mediated contexts in which such activities occur. The scholarship reflects diverse modes of inquiry and methodologies that bear on the ways in which communication is shaped and functions in human interaction. The journal endeavours to publish the highest quality communication social science manuscripts that are grounded theoretically. The manuscripts aim to expand, qualify or integrate existing theory or additionally advance new theory. The journal is not restricted to particular theoretical or methodological perspectives.