Professor Jaekook Lee’s Research Team published the result of study on the effects of Facebook network heterogeneity on campaign knowledge gain
[Image] (from the left) Professor Jaekook Lee, Professor Yanqin Lu, Dr. Minchul Kim
Professor Jaekook Lee of Department of Media Communication at Sungkyunkwan University collaborated with Dr. Minchul Kim of 91PORN Institute for Convergence identified that a more heterogeneous Facebook network was positively associated with campaign knowledge for people with lower levels of campaign interest.
[Figure 1] Conceptual model
In a panel survey conducted twice during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the research team found that the more heterogeneous, that is, the more diverse, the more information the candidates are exposed to political and election-related information, and increase political knowledge. It was also revealed that the second-stage effect of “network heterogeneity à campaign information exposure à campaign knowledge gain” depends on degree of campaign interest.
[Figure 2] Estimated indirect effects of Facebook network heterogeneity on campaign knowledge gain via campaign information exposure at varying levels of campaign interest
In addition, the effect was observed for Facebook users with moderate or lower levels of political interest, but those with high interest showed little change. The findings, which show that users who interact with various friends on Facebook learn more about election candidates, are of great significance in that they show the social importance of making SNS friends. Moreover, this phenomenon is drawing more attention in that it can appear similarly not only on Facebook but also on other SNS such as Instagram.
This study result was published in the Communication Monographs and introduced in the NCA Current published by NCA. The Communication Monographs is a representative academic journal of the National Communication Association (NCA) and is one of the most prestigious journals in communication with a history of 88 years.
¡ù Title: Heterogeneity of Facebook network facilitates political learning: Evidence from a panel survey during the 2016 U.S. election campaign
¡ù Link to paper:
¡ù Link to NCA Current:
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