The power of media in shaping political attitudes

The proliferation of media content and the use of that content among various publics frequently raises the question of whether and how media might influence political attitudes and behaviors. Scholarship in political science and communication has continually tried to disentangle these relationships. Recent research has included a variety of theoretical perspectives with a focus on experimental designs, but also including surveys, content analyses, and network analyses. Moderating and mediating variables often determine the strength of the relationships between media and political attitudes, and causality is a crucial consideration when determining the directionality of these relationships. Future research should continue these lines of exploration and also consider new media affordances and user interactions.