Keywords

Ideological polarization, social media, political polarization

Abstract

Does the usage of social media make individuals more polarized? Previous studies have shown that political use of the internet does make individuals more likely to politically participate, but little academic work has looked at the dynamic of ideology and the social media usage, despite the increase of social media usage in everyday life. This study uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok to see if social media users are more polarized, and which ideological groups are more polarized on social media. Moderates are included to differentiate if there is a difference. This study analyzed data from the American National Election Survey (ANES) of 2020 to analyze regression models between the social media platforms, and the different groups of polarization. Evidence was found that liberal polarization was correlated with Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit usage. Counterevidence was found of conservative polarization and Reddit and Snapchat usage. When moderates are included, polarization was found in Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube usage.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Knuckey, Jonathan

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Political Science

Degree Program

Political Science

Format

application/pdf

Release Date

8-15-2024

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Accessibility Status

Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs

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