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Flames and Debates: Do Social Media Affect Satisfaction with Democracy?

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  • Andrea Ceron
  • Vincenzo Memoli

Abstract

Media plays an important role in defining the quality of democracy in consolidated democracy. Internet, in turn, can wield effects on democracy and many scholars have investigated such relationship. Moving from this literature we use Eurobarometer data to estimate the effect of Internet on the satisfaction with the functioning of democracy among European citizens. The results show that Internet usage, per se, has no effect on the satisfaction with democracy. However, the consumption of online news can make the difference, even though this effect is positive when users consume news from online traditional media while social media has a negative effect, which is mediated by the level of online disagreement and the potential emergence of flames. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Ceron & Vincenzo Memoli, 2016. "Flames and Debates: Do Social Media Affect Satisfaction with Democracy?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 225-240, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:126:y:2016:i:1:p:225-240
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-015-0893-x
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    Cited by:

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    2. Joël Cariolle & Yasmine Elkhateeb & Mathilde Maurel, 2022. "(Mis-)information technology: Internet use and perception of democracy in Africa," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 22010, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    3. Cariolle, Joël & Elkhateeb, Yasmine & Maurel, Mathilde, 2024. "Misinformation technology: Internet use and political misperceptions in Africa," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 400-433.
    4. Akhlaq Ahmad & Farhan Navid Yousaf & Mazhar Iqbal Bhatti, 2019. "Political Trust and Efficacy among Educated Youth in Pakistan," Global Regional Review, Humanity Only, vol. 4(2), pages 386-391, June.
    5. Floralba Padrón Pardo & Magdalena Correa Henao, 2018. "¿El Estado Constitucional en Jaque? Tomo I. Los retos del componente democrático," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1041, htpr_v3_i.
    6. Jiaping Zhang & Xiaomei Gong & Zhongkun Zhu & Zhenyu Zhang, 2023. "Trust cost of environmental risk to government: the impact of Internet use," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 5363-5392, June.
    7. Isidoropaolo Casteltrione & Magda Pieczka, 2018. "Mediating the contributions of Facebook to political participation in Italy and the UK: the role of media and political landscapes," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(1), pages 1-11, December.

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