Facebook and Political Information in Italy and the UK: An Antidote against Political Fragmentation and Polarisation?
Journal Title: Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies - Year 2014, Vol 4, Issue 1
Abstract
Due to the rise of digital technologies citizens can today counton innumerable and diverse sources of political information. Arguably such a proliferation of media choices in conjunction with a structural aspect of the internet, namely the presence of a pro-active and self-selecting audience, offers the conditions most conducive to selective exposure (Bimber & Davis 2003). The tendency for selectivity of the internet audience has raised serious concerns as it maylead to a more polarised and less informed electorate (Sunstein 2001, Polat 2005, Bennett & Iyengar 2008). However, despite many theoretical speculations, the relationship between the internet and the exposure to politically diverse information is still unclear. The present paper aims to contribute to this debate. Through a sequential explanatory mixed methods strategy, it examines the impact of Facebook on the consumption of political information in Italy and the United Kingdom and argues thatthis social networking website could reduce the risks of selective exposure and operate as an antidote against political fragmentation and polarization.
Authors and Affiliations
Isidoropaolo Casteltrione| Queen Margaret University, UK
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP9975
- DOI -
- Views 394
- Downloads 19
Text Messages and the Detroit Mayor: Kwame Kilpatrick
This content analysis examined how the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News portrayed the text message situation of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in the eleven weeks immediately after the story broke in the news, identifyi...
Managing Risk, Reputation and Identity of Young Adults in a Social Media Environment
By means of an exploratory study, possible consequences for young adults’(individuals below the age of 30 years old) reputation and identity if their interaction on social media platforms is not managed accordingly i...
Armed Forces as an Element of National Power, and Compulsory Military Service
Whether military service should be done as a national duty or left to the professionals has been discussed for a long time both in Turkey and across the world. In order to answer this question and make relevant suggest...
The Degree of Dependence on International Reporting in Macedonian Internet Media from Global News Agencies
The paper tries to research again some of the conclusions of the MacBride report „Many Voices, One World“ implemented and published from UNESCO in1980, with particular review on present situation in Macedonian new m...
Taming the Information Beast: Content Customization and Its Impact on Media Enjoyment for Online Consumers
As technologies continue to evolve, customized online environments are becoming evermore popular with consumers as they help manage information flow in the online space while limiting exposure to advertising. This stud...