Keywords

surveillance political knowledge; social media platforms; gender gap; platform effects; political knowledge; misinformation

Abstract

Abstract

Research shows that men consistently score higher than women on standard political knowledge measures, but as Americans increasingly obtain political information through social media, it is unclear whether different platforms affect this gender gap. This study investigates whether social media platforms shape the gender gap in surveillance political knowledge—knowledge of current political facts and contested claims circulating in the contemporary information environment, and which platforms have the biggest impact. Using data from the ANES 2020 Social Media Study, I estimate weighted OLS regression models testing whether platform-specific usage is associated with surveillance political knowledge and whether these associations differ by gender. Three key findings emerge. First, platform type matters: TikTok and Facebook are negatively associated with surveillance political knowledge, while Reddit shows positive associations, indicating that platform structure, not just social media use broadly, shapes learning outcomes. Second, the gender gap persists at approximately 5-6 percentage points even after controlling for platform use, political interest, education, and news consumption. Third, social media effects do not differ significantly by gender; the interaction between social media use and gender is not statistically significant, indicating that entertainment-focused platforms undermine surveillance political knowledge for both men and women equally. These findings challenge the idea that relational platforms like Facebook and TikTok provide alternative learning pathways for women. Instead, entertainment-optimized platforms undermine the acquisition of surveillance political knowledge regardless of gender, while discussion-oriented platforms support learning. The persistent gender gap suggests that either deeper structural factors continue shaping knowledge disparities, or conventional measures fail to capture the issue-based, community-oriented political learning women acquire through social media.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Jensen, Alexander

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Identifier

DP0053144

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