Imagine, that you go to the supermarket to buy a few. Selective exposure to mass media content has been a continuing area of interest for researchers. As the sheer volume of available information increases, information. Selective perception refers to the process by which we select, categorize, and analyze stimuli from our environment to create meaningful experiences while blocking out. Historically, it appears the processes of selective exposure, perception and retention usually ensure that the media mainly operate as reinforcement to the faithful rather than as crucial determinants of opinion. At present, the theory supports two distinct research approaches. Recent research on selective exposure to information.
Nisbet, lea kremer, golnoosh behrouzian, and carroll glynn the international journal of presspolitics 2018 24. In other words, he sees the picture only as he wishes to see, and not what the actual picture is. Selective exposure in theory and in practice oxford scholarship. Pdf cognitive discrepancy, dissonance, and selective exposure. The selective exposure theory is a concept in media and communication research that refers to individuals tendency to favor information that reinforces preexisting views while avoiding contradictory information. To festinger 1957, selective exposure is a central proposition in his theory of cognitive dissonance. Selective exposure in the age of social media dartmouth college. Finally, using three of the most recent theories within media effects, namely framing effects, agenda. How technology encourages political selective exposure. Pdf selective exposure to television programmes and. Selective exposure to information is a particularly suitable illustration of the active, creative processes implied by many discussions of this phenomenon e. Document resume ed 095 597 cs 500 799 author surlin. Selective exposure can be studied in terms of whether people select news or entertainment, the.
Much of the literature on polarization and selective exposure presumes that the internet exacerbates the fragmentation of the media and the citizenry. The observation of an empirical correlation between attitudes and. This article focuses on customizability technology and its implications for the selective exposure theory. Most of them can generally be arranged into four groups. The selective exposure hypothesis revisited utrecht university. Examining the top indegree users within each cluster can shed light on the process of selective exposure, and under which topics it is more or less likely to take place. After having made a decision, we will tend to seek to avoid cognitive dissonance. Being overly impressed by facts that are salient, spectacular, coincidental, available or mediated selective reporting as a consequence neglecting to look for contradictory facts, or fuller information to understand more complex gradual evolutions situations see range estimate aversion. Selective exposure can be studied in terms of whether people select news or. The concept selective exposure refers to the systematic bias in audience composition. Many situations in real life attribute to this concept. Selective processes are the means by which individuals preexisting beliefs shape their use of information in a complex environment. Document resume ed 095 597 cs 500 799 author surlin, stuart h. Second, it gives an overview of the main theories in this area.
Endorsements trump partisan source affiliation when selecting news online solomon messing1 and sean j. In summary, one may conclude that the concept of selective exposure has. Do people crave likeminded information and eschew information that conflicts with their beliefs. Selective exposure theory wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Pdf expanding the scope of selective exposure chad. Selective exposure is a theory within the practice of psychology, often used in media and.
Whether this is occurring, however, is a matter of debate. Selective perception is a process by which one only perceives what heshe feels is right, completely ignoring the opposing viewpoints. Selective exposure has also been known and defined as congeniality bias or. Adolescent religiosity and selective exposure to television. Selective exposure to television programmes and advertising effectiveness article pdf available in applied cognitive psychology 175 july 2003 with 461 reads how we measure reads. Second, to the extent that an individual engages in selective exposure, its effect is moderated by a variety of environmental fac tors. The selective exposure theoretical framework suggests that individuals prefer turning to information sources that they agree with 9. Notwithstanding, even with the plausibility of the selective exposure hypothesis in. These studies rely on experimental methods to manipulate and measure variables in singleexposure study designs. Selective exposure theory 4 selective exposure processes in mood management excitatory homeostasis tendency of individuals to choose entertainment to achieve an optimal level of arousal. This chapter provides an overview of the theory of selective exposure, the idea that people purposefully select messages matching their beliefs. In this theory people tend to select specific aspects of exposed information based on their perspective, beliefs, attitudes and decisions. To deal with this glut of information, consumers have to make choices about what they consume. A metaanalysis of selective exposure to information pdf.
Katz lists studies outside cognitive dissonance theory, such as those on voting behavior. Selective exposure an overview sciencedirect topics. Current interests and opinions influence the acquisition selective exposure, evaluation selective perception, and retention selective memory of political information. In this theory people tend to select specific aspects of exposed information based on their perspective, beliefs, attitudes and. American adults n 205 completed a 2session online study that measured political interest and online news use, unobtrusively observed selective exposure, and finally measured political participation likelihood. The more confident an individual is about his or her opinion, the less likely he or she is to practice selective exposure. This study examines online news credibility and cognitive dissonance as theoretical explanations for partisan selective exposure behavior. Pdf expanding the scope of selective exposure chad murphy.
Selective exposure theory has a relationship with the concept of cognitive dissonance, which is the state of being psychologically uncomfortable. Sensitivity theory is not an example of a selective exposure theory. Selective exposure theory is a theory of communication, positing that individuals prefer exposure to arguments supporting their position over those supporting other positions, media consumers have more privileges to expose themselves to selected medium and media contents. Keywords selective exposure 4 media 4 presidential politics 4 partisanship 4.
Extending selective exposure theory to iran magdalena wojcieszak, erik c. If youre looking for a free download links of choice and preference in media use. The role of selective exposure in the relationship between online news use and political participation is examined. Intervention potential ability of a message to engage or absorb an aroused individuals attention or cognitiveprocessing resources. Pdf assessing selective exposure in experiments magdalena. Exposure to opposing views on social media can increase. Westwood1 abstract much of the literature on polarization and selective exposure presumes that the internet exacerbates the fragmentation of the media and the citizenry.
Yet this ignores how the widespread use of social media changes news consumption. Selective exposure in theory and in practice oxford. Selective exposure has also been known and defined as congeniality bias or confirmation bias in various texts throughout. In contrast to other authors in the anthology, he finds considerable support for selective exposure theory. Selective exposure in the authors 2012 the age of social. Thus we will avoid things which might indicate that the decision was wrong. This chapter provides an overview of the theory of selective exposure, the idea. Major cognitive dissonance phenomena let us now turn to a brief discussion of major cognitive dissonance phenomena. The most persistent problem in research in this conceptual area has been distinguishing between incidental exposure as opposed to selfcontrolled, premeditated. Second, to the extent that an individual engages in selective exposure, its effect is.
Why people watch reality tv university of kentucky. Similarly, the theory of selection processes selective exposure attention, selective retention memory and selective perception evaluation. Social media provide readers a choice of stories from different sources that come recommended from politically heterogeneous individuals, in a context that. Selective exposure partly relies on faulty affective forecasts. In light of the everincreasing abundance of media channels and messages, selective exposure has become more important than ever for media impacts. As with selective exposure and selective perception, selective retention is likely to. Although sensitivity theory holds that people pay attention to stimuli relevant to the satisfaction of their basic desires, in social psychology selective exposure implies motivareality tv. As with selective exposure and selective perception, selective retention is likely to reinforce existing beliefs and attitudes. Lastly, i present a historical overview of the theory of media.
Cognitive discrepancy, dissonance, and selective exposure. Concern about selective exposure to information and political polarization has increased in the age of social media 16, 2123. The fundamental question of research on selective exposure is. Selective perception theory, also known as selective exposure, is the theory that an audiences interpretation of media is dependent on their personal beliefs. Selective exposure to fake news there are stark di. The first of these is rooted in the research tradition of social psychology, from which selective exposure originally emerged. The selective exposure theory, historically, associates preference as an action that favors opinion reinforcement and avoids opinion challenges garrett 2009, 267. Partly this is because the term itself has been used in a confusing way. If they consume media that does not reflect their ideas, the audience will view and construe the mediums content in. Advances in selective exposure theory and research routledge communication series pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. Selective exposure communication oxford bibliographies. The public willingly chooses to consume media that aligns with their principals. Selective exposure research indicates that news consumers tend to seek out attitudeconsistent information and avoid attitudechallenging information. However, much of the research on this topic has relied on potentially inaccurate assumptions.
If people generally seek out only media sources that confirm or reinforce their prior. A simple explanation of selective perception for better. The literature on selective exposure has made inestimable advances in our understanding of media and its effect on politics and the general public. Selective exposure for better or worse oxford academic journals. The vast majority of americans now visit a social media site at least once each day, and a. The role of selective exposure in the relationship between online news use and. We begin by considering theory and some evidence about preferences for political in formation and politically congenial information. Interestingly enough, dissonance theorys selective exposure hypothesis calls into question the purported significant and farreaching impacts of the mass media on the audience. These studies rely on experimental methods to manipulate and measure variables in single exposure study designs.
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