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Partisan Selective Engagement: Evidence from Facebook

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  • Marcel Garz
  • Jil Sörensen
  • Daniel F. Stone

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of variation in “congeniality” of news on Facebook user engagement (likes, shares, and comments). We compile an original data set of Facebook posts by 84 German news outlets on politicians that were investigated for criminal offenses from January 2012 to June 2017. We also construct an index of each outlet’s media slant by comparing the language of the outlet with that of the main political parties, which allows us to measure the congeniality of the posts. We find evidence that users engaged with congenial posts more than with uncongenial ones, especially in terms of likes. The within-outlet, within-topic design allows us to infer that the greater engagement with congenial news is likely driven by psychological and social factors, rather than a desire for accurate or otherwise instrumental information.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcel Garz & Jil Sörensen & Daniel F. Stone, 2019. "Partisan Selective Engagement: Evidence from Facebook," CESifo Working Paper Series 7975, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7975
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bernhardt, Lea & Dewenter, Ralf & Thomas, Tobias, 2023. "Measuring partisan media bias in US newscasts from 2001 to 2012," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    2. Eugenio Levi & Michael Bayerlein & Gianluca Grimalda & Tommaso Reggiani, 2023. "Narratives on migration and political polarization: How the emphasis in narratives can drive us apart," MUNI ECON Working Papers 2023-07, Masaryk University.
    3. Guy Aridor & Rafael Jiménez-Durán & Ro'ee Levy & Lena Song, 2024. "The Economics of Social Media," CESifo Working Paper Series 10934, CESifo.
    4. Garz, Marcel & Sood, Gaurav & Stone, Daniel F. & Wallace, Justin, 2020. "The supply of media slant across outlets and demand for slant within outlets: Evidence from US presidential campaign news," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    5. Thomas Cyron & Marcel Garz & Norbert Steigenberger, 2024. "Beware the community type: engagement and growth in core vs. open online communities," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 1383-1407, April.
    6. Julian Freitag & Anna Kerkhof & Johannes Münster, 2021. "Selective Sharing of News Items and the Political Position of News Outlets," CESifo Working Paper Series 8943, CESifo.
    7. Ralf Dewenter & Uwe Dulleck & Tobias Thomas, 2020. "Does the 4th estate deliver? The Political Coverage Index and its application to media capture," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 292-328, September.
    8. Freitag, Julian & Kerkhof, Anna & Münster, Johannes, 2021. "Selective sharing of news items and the political position of news outlets," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    9. Dejean, Sylvain & Lumeau, Marianne & Peltier, Stéphanie, 2022. "Partisan selective exposure in news consumption," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    10. Marcel Garz & Jonna Rickardsson, 2023. "Ownership and media slant: Evidence from Swedish newspapers," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(1), pages 18-40, February.
    11. Maaß, Sabrina & Wortelker, Jil & Rott, Armin, 2024. "Evaluating the regulation of social media: An empirical study of the German NetzDG and Facebook," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(5).
    12. Garz, Marcel & Szucs, Ferenc, 2023. "Algorithmic selection and supply of political news on Facebook," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    13. Bernhardt, Lea & Dewenter, Ralf & Thomas, Tobias, 2020. "Watchdog or loyal servant? Political media bias in US newscasts," DICE Discussion Papers 348, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    14. Fabrizio Germano & Vicenç Gómez & Francesco Sobbrio, 2022. "Ranking for Engagement: How Social Media Algorithms Fuel Misinformation and Polarization," CESifo Working Paper Series 10011, CESifo.
    15. Julian Freitag & Anna Kerkhof & Johannes Münster, 2021. "Selective sharing of news items and the political position of news outlets," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 056, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    16. Razi Farukh & Matthias Heinz & Anna Kerkhof & Heiner Schumacher, 2023. "Attitudes to Migration and the Market for News," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 248, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    filter bubble; media bias; political immunity; social media; polarization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media

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