The Antisocial Net. Modeling the Influence of Presumed Harmful Influences on Support for Restrictive Internet Regulation

• In Event: Online Media II: Analyses of Communication Networks

Abstract

Negative perceptions of media technology in a society can both determine how much pressure political actors perceive regarding its regulation and the extent to which children are granted self-determined access to media products and applications. Based on research on the third-person-effect and the influence of presumed influence, our study investigates the prevalence of negative perceptions regarding the effects of using the internet and the consequences of these perceptions on individual approval of restrictive internet regulation. Based on a survey with 304 participants (quota sample), we show that some negative perceptions of the effects of the internet are widespread across the German population. Additionally, we find that the more frequently people consume traditional mass media, the more they maintain negative perceptions. Finally, we show that the negative perceptions of the effects of different application areas vary in their contribution to explaining the willingness to demand restrictive internet regulation.

Authors

• Mathias Weber, U Mainz

• Marc Ziegele, U of Mainz