"Friending" and "Unfriending": Antecedents and Consequences of Political Privacy in Social Media

• In Event: ICA Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Political Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Using a national sample in the U.S. (n = 1,047), we test the social stratification of (1) political disclosure and (2) its effects on one’s decision to integrate into and disconnect from communities, as indicated by friendship or follower status. The analysis poses larger questions about the function of social media in bringing together diverse communities and explores how one’s political disclosure is (1) affected by social backgrounds and (2) affects the characteristic of mediated social interactions. We found that political disclosure and racial background had the interactive relationship in influencing social connection. Frequent social media use was not found associated with the disclosure of political viewpoints. The findings provide evidence of the differential effects of social media dialogues.

Author

• Yong Jin Park, Howard U