Does Politics Fatigue on Social Media Foster Participatory Inequality?

• In Event: Studying the Impact of Information Technology on Citizens

Abstract

Despite intense concern over misinformation, polarization, and incivility on social media, many scholars have remained hopeful that these technologies can expand access to political voice and influence (e.g., Vaccari & Valeriani, 2021). This optimistic perspective has sustained itself by highlighting the increased opportunity to engage in politics on social media (Weeks & Lane, 2020). By providing abundant opportunities to encounter political information, join powerful political networks, and engage in creative acts of political expression, social media promise pathways to participation for the marginalized and disengaged (Jackson et al., 2020).

Yet, American social media users do not appear to share this optimistic view. Americans increasingly express concern, frustration, and fatigue over the politics they encounter on social media platforms (Anderson & Auxier, 2020). A 2020 survey by the Pew Research center found that an increasingly large share of American respondents were ‘worn out’ by political posts and discussions, while a smaller group reported that they liked seeing politics on social media (Anderson & Auxier, 2020). At the same time, social media continue to be portrayed in the news media as corrosive forces in democratic life.

In this paper, we argue that as social media become key characters in the story of politics, the way people think and feel about these platforms has important implications. The perceptions people have of communication technologies influence how such technologies are imagined and used (Nagy & Neff, 2015). Further, research suggests that when people have negative experiences with political media or topics, they are likely to actively avoid or disengage with them (Gurr & Metag, 2021; Skovsgaard & Andersen, 2020). Accordingly, we examine whether growing politics fatigue on social media is associated with more negative perceptions of and lower engagement in social media politics. Using survey datasets collected during the 2020 U.S. election period (Ns =7,342; 1,190), we examine two theoretical pathways through which individuals who are already marginalized or disengaged from politics may experience higher levels of politics fatigue, ultimately fostering participatory inequalities. Specifically, we test how exposure to higher levels of politics on social media might create fatigue among users who either a) are disinterested in politics altogether (interest-based fatigue) or b) hold strong political or social identities (identity-based fatigue).

Findings confirm that the cause of SM politics fatigue is unlikely to be simply a result of increased exposure to politics on social media. Analysis of one dataset provided evidence of interest-based, but not identity-based fatigue—respondents low in political interest experienced greater politics fatigue when they encounter higher levels of politics on social media. Further, we find some evidence that increased politics fatigue is associated with a) more negative perceptions of social media, and b) lower levels of engagement on social media (mixed evidence). In discussing these findings, we consider how abundant opportunities to encounter politics on social media produce fatigue among those who may benefit the most. We argue that rising levels of SM politics fatigue may constitute a serious threat to a more equitable and democratic internet. If the most disengaged portions of the American public remain ‘worn out’ by politics on social media, it will be challenging to expand the digital political sphere beyond a small number of politically sophisticated users. We offer suggestions for how future theory and practice might help individuals cope with being ‘worn out’ before they ‘tune out.’


References

Anderson, M., & Auxier, B. (2020). 55% of U.S. social media users say they are ‘worn out’ by political posts and discussions. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/19/55-of-u-s-social-media-users-say-they-are-worn-out-by-political-posts-and-discussions/

Jackson, S. J., Bailey, M., & Welles, B. F. (2020). #HashtagActivism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice. MIT Press.

Lane, D. S., Do, K., & Molina-Rogers, N. (2021). Testing Inequality and Identity Accounts of Racial Gaps in Political Expression on Social Media. Political Communication, 0(0), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2021.1919808

Nagy, P., & Neff, G. (2015). Imagined Affordance: Reconstructing a Keyword for Communication Theory. Social Media + Society, 1(2), 2056305115603385. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115603385

Skovsgaard, M., & Andersen, K. (2020). Conceptualizing News Avoidance: Towards a Shared Understanding of Different Causes and Potential Solutions. Journalism Studies, 21(4), 459–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1686410

Vaccari, C., & Valeriani, A. (2021). Outside the Bubble: Social Media and Political Participation in Western Democracies. Oxford University Press.

Weeks, B. E., & Lane, D. S. (2020). The ecology of incidental exposure to news in digital media environments: Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884920915354

Authors

• Daniel Lane, UC Santa Barbara

• Nancy Molina-Rogers, University of California, Santa Barbara

• Emilija Gagrcin, University of Mannheim