Social Media, News Consumption, and Polarization: Evidence from a Field Experiment

115 Pages Posted: 18 Aug 2020 Last revised: 5 Jun 2023

See all articles by Ro'ee Levy

Ro'ee Levy

Tel Aviv University - Eitan Berglas School of Economics

Date Written: August 19, 2020

Abstract

Does the consumption of ideologically congruent news on social media exacerbate polarization? I estimate the effects of social media news exposure by conducting a large field experiment randomly offering participants subscriptions to conservative or liberal news outlets on Facebook. I collect data on the causal chain of media effects: subscriptions to outlets, exposure to news on Facebook, visits to online news sites, and sharing of posts, as well as changes in political opinions and attitudes. Four main findings emerge. First, random variation in exposure to news on social media substantially affects the slant of news sites individuals visit. Second, exposure to counter-attitudinal news decreases negative attitudes toward the opposing political party. Third, in contrast to the effect on attitudes, I find no evidence that the political leanings of news outlets affect political opinions. Fourth, Facebook's algorithm is less likely to supply individuals with posts from counter-attitudinal outlets, conditional on individuals subscribing to them. Together, the results suggest that social media algorithms may limit exposure to counter-attitudinal news and thus increase polarization.

Keywords: polarization, social media, filter bubble, field experiment

JEL Classification: D72, L82, L86, O33

Suggested Citation

Levy, Ro'ee, Social Media, News Consumption, and Polarization: Evidence from a Field Experiment (August 19, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3653388 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3653388

Ro'ee Levy (Contact Author)

Tel Aviv University - Eitan Berglas School of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 39040
Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978
Israel

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