Polarization, Media, Identity, and Exclusion

• In Event: 078 - Section on Sociology of Culture Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 04. Symbolic Boundaries Network

Abstract

The influence of polarization has been carefully studied for some time now. Polarized environments have been found to decrease the impact of information on political decision-making, and increase confidence in those unfounded decisions (Druckman, Peterson and Slothuus 2013), and in video experiments, partisan stereotypes, such as those found in media bias, were shown to exert considerable influence in political information processing (Rahn 1993). To top it all off, consumers of the most partisan media outlets (left and right) are more likely to oppose incumbent candidates, as do those who don't consume the news at all. Consumers of mainstream outlets favor incumbents. Studies of blogs and social media hold out more hope than expected, however. For example, Dvir-Gvirsman, Tzfati and Menchen-Trevino (2014), found that partisan consumers were polarized but that consumption of the opposing view had no diluting or moderating effect on that polarization. How might social media contribute to social identities and exclusion

Author

• Bethany Bryson, James Madison University