Incidental Exposure to Dissonant Political Information on Facebook and Corrective Participation: Unraveling the Effects of Emotional Responses and Issue Relevance

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

Abstract

Drawing on a laboratory experiment, this study explores the effects of Facebook-based incidental exposure to dissonant political information on corrective participation. The results reveal that incidental exposure on Facebook does not have any influence on one’s intention of engaging in corrective actions. However, it has an indirect impact on corrective participation through the mediating effects of anxiety, as suggested by affective intelligence theory and appraisal theories of emotion. The mediating effects of anxiety are also moderated by one’s perceived issue relevance. Implications are discussed in terms of the role of social media uses in participatory and deliberative democracies.

Author

• Yanqin Lu, Bowling Green State U