#PolarizedFeeds: Three Experiments on Polarization, Framing, and Social Media

Does exposure to social media polarize users or simply sort out like-minded voters based on their preexisting beliefs? In this paper, we conduct three survey experiments to assess the direct and unconditioned effect of exposure to tweets on perceived ideological polarization of candidates and parties. We show that subjects treated with negative tweets see greater ideological distance between presidential nominees and between their parties. We also demonstrate that polarization increases with processing time. We demonstrate a social media effect on perceived polarization beyond that due to the self-selection of like-minded users into different media communities. We explain our results as the result of social media frames that increasecontrasteffects between voters and candidates.

Automated summary

The research shows that negative tweets have a significant impact on the ideological distance between candidates and parties, and that polarization increases with processing time. The social media frames intensify the contrast effects between voters and candidates.