Showing papers in "Journal of Information Technology & Politics in 2015"
TL;DR: This paper found that exposure to disagreeable uncivil political talk induces feelings of anger and aversion, which in turn reduces satisfaction with the message board discourse, and exposure to like-minded incivility increases the use of uncivil behavior in political comments by message board posters.
Abstract: With the advances in interpersonal communication of the “Web 2.0” era, questions about the importance of civility are perhaps more important than ever. Mass digital interaction between strangers has become an everyday occurrence, bound by few behavioral norms. I argue that the widespread presence of incivility in online political communication limits the deliberative potential of online interactions. To test this hypothesis, I manipulate exposure to uncivil political discourse in an online discussion forum. I find that exposure to disagreeable uncivil political talk induces feelings of anger and aversion, which in turn reduces satisfaction with the message board discourse. On the other hand, exposure to like-minded incivility increases the use of uncivil behavior in political comments by message board posters. Notably, these effects mainly occur when histrionic, emotional incivility is present. I discuss why like-minded and disagreeable incivility have different effects, and reflect on what the pr...
193 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the role of social media in contemporary political communication, focusing on Barack Obama's Facebook campaign in the run-up to the 2012 presidential election and found that the Obama campaign used Facebook as a tool of top-down promotion focusing on Obama's personality and as a means of strategically guiding followers to act.
Abstract: This article examines the role of social media in contemporary political communication, focusing on Barack Obama’s Facebook campaign in the run-up to the 2012 presidential election. Although there is a growing body of literature on online forms of participation, little research exists on the role of social buttons on Facebook (like, comment, and share) as tools of political voice. We use these native interactive features as indicators of how citizens engage with particular political messages. A content analysis of posts published on Obama’s official Facebook page over the two months leading up to Election Day was conducted, along with a detailed measurement of all user interactions for each post. Our analysis indicates that the Obama campaign used Facebook as a tool of top-down promotion, focusing on Obama’s personality and as a means of strategically guiding followers to act, rather than as a means of bottom-up empowerment or hybridized coproduction. However, we also found that followers engaged ...
139 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the degree to which Twitter use by European Parliament representatives can be described as being characterized by permanence, a concept related to the professionalization of political campaigns.
Abstract: Although conceptual efforts have often suggested that the Internet harbors considerable possibilities to revolutionize political participation, empirical studies have often presented rather limited impacts in this regard. Nevertheless, novel online services such as Twitter are still pointed to as having potential to be employed by citizens and politicians alike. Utilizing state-of-the-art data collection methods, this study builds on the suggestions of previous research and gauges the degree to which EU parliamentarians make use of Twitter for so-called permanent campaigning. Specifically, the paper seeks to assess the degree to which Twitter use by European Parliament representatives can be described as being characterized by permanence—a concept related to the professionalization of political campaigns. Thus, by examining these uses outside of election periods, the study provides useful insights into the day-to-day uses of Twitter, contributing to the limited body of work focusing on the everyda...
62 citations
TL;DR: This article examined political advertisements posted on YouTube in races for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and found that ads posted by citizens and quasi-political organizations are viewed just as often as ads sponsored by some traditional electoral actors, such as parties and interest groups, but that ads Sponsored by candidates are most likely to be viewed.
Abstract: This research explores the extent to which YouTube helps democratize campaigns by allowing nontraditional political actors to be heard. We examine political advertisements posted on YouTube in races for the U.S. Senate in 2010. We find that ads posted by citizens and quasi-political organizations are viewed just as often as ads sponsored by some traditional electoral actors, such as parties and interest groups, but that ads sponsored by candidates are most likely to be viewed. However, news media coverage of ads posted online by nontraditional actors is dwarfed by coverage of traditional television advertisements.
39 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the effects of negative news on Twitter users' emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses and found that negative news had a significant effect on anger and disgust, and a significant link was found between exposure to negative news and information seeking.
Abstract: This study examined the effects of negative news on Twitter users’ emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses. Four hundred twenty subjects participated in an online experiment and read 10 news stories, modified as Twitter newsfeed. The results show that news negativity had a significant effect on anger and disgust. A significant link was found between exposure to negative news and information seeking. The impact of news negativity on emotions and political learning was moderated by age. Findings also reveal that experiencing negative emotions as a result of exposure to negative news on Twitter is not necessarily at odds with achieving political learning.
38 citations
TL;DR: This article examined both whether Internet use encourages traditional participation, such as campaign-and election-centered acts, and nontraditional participation, including protest/resistance centered acts in the East Asian context, and suggested that Internet use should be negatively associated with traditional participation because dissidents are likely to see it as futile.
Abstract: There is a debate in the extant literature concerning whether the Internet stimulates political participation. We examine both whether Internet use encourages traditional participation, such as campaign- and election-centered acts, and nontraditional participation, including protest/resistance-centered acts in the East Asian context. In doing so, we are also able to explore the Asian Values hypothesis, which purports that East Asians have a cultural predisposition toward civic obedience. We theorize that because of the increased probability of being exposed to a dissident flow of information, more frequent use of the Internet leads to the development of negative attitudes about government and results in less obedience, and more nontraditional participation. Conversely, we suggest that Internet use should be negatively associated with traditional participation because dissidents are likely to see it as futile. The results confirm these expectations, suggesting the Asian Values hypothesis is not robust.
38 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the role of moderators and political ideology for online deliberation during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and found that the quality of online discourse depended on the particular candidate's use of the Facebook platform as a too...
Abstract: This study examines the potential of Facebook to provide a channel of political deliberation during electoral campaigns. Through a comparative content analysis of user-generated political commentary on candidates’ Facebook pages during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, it explores the technical role of moderators and moderators’ political ideology for online deliberation. Results show that social networking sites (SNSs) can represent spaces that accommodate a new public sphere and that quality deliberation can occur even in nonpolitical platforms. However, the quality of online deliberation depends on the sociopolitical context in which it occurs rather than on the technological use of online spaces for deliberation. Although political discourse in moderated sites showed more sophisticated argumentation, political ideology did not seem to matter for the quality of deliberation. Rather, the quality of the discourse depended on the particular candidate’s use of the Facebook platform as a too...
34 citations
TL;DR: The authors showed that issue-specific engagement on Facebook is associated with a greater sense of personal influence on the issue of climate change and energy, which suggests that distinguishing between types of Facebook activity is important.
Abstract: Although social media are increasingly studied for their political impact, not enough is known about how distinct forms of Facebook activity, such as general news consumption and expression vs. issue-specific engagement, explain orientations toward a particular issue. Using a Republican sample, we demonstrate that only issue-specific engagement on Facebook—and not other forms of online behaviors—is consistently associated with a greater sense of personal influence on the issue of climate change and energy, which suggests that distinguishing between types of Facebook activity is important.
34 citations
TL;DR: The authors measured the extent of online campaigning during the 2010 UK general election campaign and explained the patterns of adoption observed by using an extensive and original data set that measures the adoption of Web sites by candidates from six parties in all constituencies in England, and measures adoption and use of four types of social media for a smaller group of more competitive constituencies.
Abstract: The apparent success of President Obama’s online election campaigns in the 2008 and 2012 U.S. presidential elections and the rapid growth in use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter by British voters since the last election has led to much speculation that 2010 would be a “watershed” moment for UK politicians and parties in their adoption of digital tools. This article seeks to measure the precise extent of online campaigning during the 2010 general election campaign and explain the patterns of adoption observed. It does so by using an extensive and original data set that measures the adoption of Web sites by candidates from six parties in all constituencies in England, and measures adoption and use of four types of social media for a smaller group of more competitive constituencies. It aims to test one of the leading theories in the field of online campaigning, the normalization thesis, using the most comprehensive and rigorous data collected in the United Kingdom to date. The n...
33 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey among the population in the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia was conducted in the context of an election (n = 485) and the results show that perceived strong online influences led to an increase in online communication activities in the election campaign.
Abstract: In the investigation of political participation, one potential influencing factor has so far hardly been considered: it is to a large extent unknown whether perceived influences of (online) media result in increased political (online) participation. To prove this, a survey among the population in the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia was conducted in the context of an election (n = 485). The results show that perceived strong online influences led to an increase in online communication activities in the election campaign. The findings indicate that the online participation can be hardly interpreted as corrective, but rather as confirmative actions.
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the changes in online influence of political candidates by utilizing Klout, a new, publicly available measure incorporating a variety of behaviors online, was measured by collecting daily Klout data of nearly all major congressional and presidential campaigns during the 2012 election cycle and compare them to other traditional measures of online influence and campaign success.
Abstract: This study seeks to understand the efficacy of online political campaign communication. We do this by measuring the changes in online influence of political candidates by utilizing Klout, a new, publicly available measure incorporating a variety of behaviors online. We collected daily Klout data of nearly all major congressional and presidential campaigns during the 2012 election cycle and compare them to other traditional measures of online influence and campaign success. We conclude that Klout offers valuable advantages as a sophisticated research tool for evaluating real-time online influence of political campaigns, but caution researchers about some limitations in its use.
TL;DR: This article found that hostile media perception is an important motivator for partisan selective exposure among this audience, and also that such perceptions can lead indirectly to expressive political participation by encouraging visits to politically homogeneous online spaces.
Abstract: Concerns about selective exposure to partisan information have become a mainstay for scholars of political communication in the changing media environment. This study draws on a survey of a unique population—readers of political blogs—to explore the relationship between perceptions of mainstream media bias (as hostile media perception) and selective exposure to media sources that provide like-minded information as well as social support. We find that hostile media perception is an important motivator for partisan selective exposure among this audience, and also that such perceptions can lead indirectly to expressive political participation by encouraging visits to politically homogeneous online spaces.
TL;DR: This article examined the relationship between digital media use and six acts of political participation in the United States between 1996 and 2008 and found that digital media usage was associated with participation more broadly in 2008 than in preceding years.
Abstract: In an earlier study, we examined the relationship between digital media use and six acts of political participation in the United States between 1996 and 2008. We found that digital media use was associated with participation more broadly in 2008 than in preceding years and concluded with a question about whether the relationship between digital media use and behavior might be strengthening over time. Here we add 2012 data to address that question. The extended time series, from 1996 to 2012, reinforced our main findings: (1) the relationship between digital media use and behavior exhibits highly idiosyncratic variation over time; and (2) political talk constitutes an exception because of its consistent and positive relationship with seeking political information online.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors tried to understand how affordances of new media are leveraged by migrants with different political orientations as they engaged politically with their homeland, and two contexts were identified to understand their transnational political exchanges: (a) elections in homeland India, and (b) the backdrop of various civil society movements.
Abstract: Political participation has generally been evaluated among civic resident populations using the indices of voting and campaign participation. However, migrants’ engagement with politics in their home country has become increasingly virtual with the advent of mobile/social media, suggesting a need to go beyond traditional theorizations. This article tries to understand how affordances of new media are leveraged by migrants with different political orientations as they engaged politically with their homeland. Two contexts were identified to understand their transnational political exchanges: (a) elections in homeland India, and (b) the backdrop of various civil society movements. In-depth interviews were conducted among 31 Indian migrants in Singapore with diverse political ideologies and linguistic backgrounds. Calling, messaging, sharing of news stories/posts, and commenting were the most commonly used mobile affordances. Social constructivist tradition in technology appropriation found support in...
TL;DR: This article examined 185,420 publicly available Twitter messages during a Republican primary debate in November 2011, hosted by CNN and viewed by over 3.5 million individuals in the United States, identifying how activity differs at various phases of a televised debate and who the subjects of this discourse are through analysis of how individuals use the syntactical features of Twitter such as at-mentions, at-replies, and URLs.
Abstract: Social media creates a geographically independent commons that transforms citizen participation in political discourse. In our study, we examine 185,420 publicly available Twitter messages during a Republican primary debate in November 2011, hosted by CNN and viewed by over 3.5 million individuals in the United States. We identify how activity differs at various phases of a televised debate and who the subjects of this discourse are through analysis of how individuals use the syntactical features of Twitter such as at-mentions, at-replies, and URLs. Understanding how individuals engage with each other in an open forum has broad implications for understanding social media’s effect on civic engagement and information diffusion among elected officials, candidates, and citizens. Our findings suggest that a significant number of the syntactical features specific to Twitter are used to relay information, engage in discourse, and create new threads of discourse related to issues that are brought up durin...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze the issues addressed in 6,388 Facebook posts by candidates in the Danish 2011 parliamentary election and find that the Facebook campaign agenda is not simply politics as usual.
Abstract: Given the importance of issue competition in a West European context and the growing use of Facebook in elections, this paper studies how politicians use Facebook to shape the campaign agenda. We analyze the issues addressed in 6,388 Facebook posts by candidates in the Danish 2011 parliamentary election. A limited share of Facebook updates is dedicated to issues. The Facebook agenda did not respond to standings in the polls, nor to the media agenda or public agenda. Comparing issue engagement of new candidates and rerunning candidates we find that the Facebook campaign agenda is not simply politics as usual.
TL;DR: In this paper, a quasi-experimental study of high school students in social studies classes examined whether prior academic performance, civic engagement, civic game play experience and gender affected how (and which) students benefit from playing a life simulation game.
Abstract: Digital games and simulations (DG&S) could help mitigate inequities in civic education and participation, which are found in many contemporary democracies. Yet incorporating DG&S into the curriculum may reinforce or introduce inequities for students who are less engaged by game-based learning. A quasi-experimental study of 301 U.S. high school students in social studies classes examined whether prior academic performance, civic engagement, civic game play experience and gender affected how (and which) students benefit from playing a life simulation game. Dependent variables included several civic dispositions: justice-oriented citizenship norms and interest in politics, news, and global issues. The simulation game especially enhanced political interest among lower performing students and those with fewer informational resources. Although prior civic activity and civic gaming experience provided advantages for some outcomes, for the most part, gender did not. We conclude that life simulation games ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined 316,594 hyperlinks and 60,378 headlines culled from 20 elite, partisan political blogs through 10 months of the U.S. 2012 presidential year for evidence of partisan selective exposure in blog production practices.
Abstract: Utilizing network-based content analysis methodologies, this study examined 316,594 hyperlinks and 60,378 headlines culled from 20 elite, partisan political blogs through 10 months of the U.S. 2012 presidential year for evidence of partisan selective exposure in blog production practices. Hyperlinks reveal dense intra-interconnectivity among progressive blogs as opposed to conservative blogs. Elite, traditional media sources operated as bridges between spheres that otherwise tended to partisan selective exposure in their partisan source linking practices toward congenial media. Headline network text analysis revealed divergent issue and people agendas promoted between both partisan blog networks, providing very strong evidence for the operation of partisan selective exposure in the emergent content practices of these elite produser publics across the 2012 U.S. presidential year.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the political communication of American and German politicians on Facebook by referring to the framework of political communication systems and concluded that structural differences influence how new communication technologies are adopted.
Abstract: This study compares the political communication of American and German politicians on Facebook by referring to the framework of political communication systems. We analyzed the Facebook profiles and communication of all the members of the 17th German Bundestag and the 112th U.S. Congress. Our results reveal differences between American and German politicians in reference to their general use of Facebook, their voter relationship management on Facebook, and the personalization of their presentation. Because these differences can be interpreted against the background of the countries’ political communication systems, we conclude that structural differences influence how new communication technologies are adopted.
TL;DR: This article examined partisan media producers with a focus on poll reporting during the 2012 U.S. presidential election and found that conservative writers were more likely to raise poll criticism in stories when President Obama's lead was greater.
Abstract: Research on selective exposure and cognitive dissonance centers on receivers of content, but message crafters can influence the process by preselecting content with an ideological fit for an audience. This study examines partisan media producers with a focus on poll reporting during the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign. A content analysis of 323 stories from leading partisan sites indicates that authors were more likely to write about polls that showed their preferred electoral outcomes. Headlines and lead paragraphs also showed partisan bias. Results also provided partial support for cognitive dissonance theory; conservative writers were more likely to raise poll criticism in stories when President Obama’s lead was greater. Implications for trust in government and media are discussed.
TL;DR: The use of Information and Communication Technologies for Violence Prevention (ICT4VP) is creating a fusion of outsider-top-level and insider-local-level approaches as mentioned in this paper, highlighting the importance of policies designed to support local actors for early response in tandem with initiatives by leaders at mid and top levels.
Abstract: Initial versions of conflict early warning and early response were designed primarily for use by foreign policy experts to support early responses to avert chaos in governance, factional bloodshed, and associated humanitarian crises More recently, there has been a shift of emphasis to early warning and early response at a local level due, in part, to emerging technologies—especially cell phones and social media, involving the “net-roots” This use of Information and Communication Technologies for Violence Prevention (ICT4VP) is creating a fusion of outsider-top-level and insider-local-level approaches Although these new systems can be risky, there is evidence that such combinations can be successful, highlighting the importance of policies designed to support local actors for early response in tandem with initiatives by leaders at mid and top levels
TL;DR: In this paper, a three-wave, self-selected panel study following 533 players from the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft (WoW), over 10 months was conducted to disentangle the causal relationship between generalized trust and social experiences.
Abstract: To disentangle the causal relationship between generalized trust and social experiences in a digitalized world, this article employs a three-wave, self-selected panel study following 533 players from the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft (WoW), over 10 months. Focusing on whether generalized trust can be shaped by the social experiences one makes throughout a lifetime, this study finds a strong relationship between joining or exiting a voluntary association-like environment within the game and changes in generalized trust. Starting to play together in voluntary association-like environments is positively related to increases in generalized trust, while exiting is associated with a decrease in generalized trust. Hence, contrary to other recent studies on associations’ ability to affect generalized trust, this study demonstrates effects on generalized trust when studying social encounters within an MMORPG. In other words, a social experience such as gaming to...
TL;DR: The hype over conflict in cyberspace is reflected predomina... as discussed by the authors argues that "Cyberspace has evolved into a domain of international conflict as well as a source of threat inflation by the policymakers and the media".
Abstract: Cyberspace has evolved into a domain of international conflict as well as a source of threat inflation by the policymakers and the media. The hype over conflict in cyberspace is reflected predomina...
TL;DR: The database architecture is described, several examples of potential customized analyses that scholars may conduct through ILMA are proposed, and its main functionalities for querying the database and exporting data are explained.
Abstract: The Italian Law-Making Archive, denoted ILMA, is a new Web application for supporting the analysis of the Italian legislative processes. It aims to overcome the shortcomings that commonly affect quantitative analyses of legislative systems, providing ready-to-use data on the Italian context organized in a relational structure and included in a unique repository. After comparing ILMA with other Web information systems, this article describes the database architecture, proposes several examples of potential customized analyses that scholars may conduct through ILMA, and explains its main functionalities for querying the database and exporting data.