TV Programs vs. Social Media
The research results help structure the ongoing discussion on traditional and electronic media: 1) Which media do Poles use to acquire information? 2) How do they evaluate individual broadcasters? 3) Can framing of the message (presenting facts in a specific context) influence attitudes? If so, whose, and what kind of people?
The researchers assumed that media create ecosystems operating on two levels: they are connected by ownership/control structures and have audiences connected by political preferences. They expected to find three main clusters: public media, main private media, and, as a separate cluster, internet portals.
The hypotheses put forth were largely confirmed. There is a clear difference in media consumption between the electorate of the ruling party (at the time of the study) and others. A separate phenomenon is the strong position of social media aggregators. The use of FB (Facebook) as a primary source of information is negatively correlated with the use of news programs from both TVP and TVN, which constitute the centers of two information ecosystems. It can therefore be assumed that users relying on FB as a source of information constitute a separate, depoliticized category. Using FB as a source of information points to limited competence in identifying and verifying information. Such incompetence can be treated as a manifestation of second-degree digital exclusion.
Emotional Valence of Content
The main part of the study was a survey experiment. In line with the hypotheses, confrontation with content outside one's own information ecosystem can influence a change in views under certain conditions. The most important of these is the emotional valence of the content—the hypothesis regarding the role of the affective dimension in strengthening the media's influence on attitudes was confirmed. Framing based on fear is more effective than framing based on empathy.
Media communication about refugees that was charged with negative emotions coincided with a noticeable deterioration of societal attitudes towards them. The study shows that there is a cause-and-effect relationship.
Publications
- G. Ekiert, J. Kubik, M. Wenzel, Civil Society and Three Dimensions of Inequality in Post-1989 Poland, „Comparative Politics” 49(3), 2017, s. 331-350
- M. Wenzel, M. Żerkowska-Balas, Reading, Writing and Political Competence, „Polish Sociological Review” 2(202), 2018, s. 147-165
- M. Wenzel, News Consumption and Political Party Preferences in Poland, „Political Preferences” 18, 2018, s. 57-74
- M. Wenzel, M. Żerkowska-Balas, Framing Effect of Media Portrayal of Migrants to the European Union: A Survey Experiment in Poland, „East European Politics and Societies and Cultures” 33/1, 2019, s. 44-65
- M. Wenzel, Media a wybory, [w:] Demokratyczny Audyt Polski 2, Biuro Rzecznika Praw Obywatelskich, Warszawa 2017, s. 119-134
- M. Wenzel, Europeanization, [w:] Understanding Central Europe, Routledge, Oxford 2018, s. 59-65