Between trust and skepticism

Unpacking the impact of social media skepticism on online political participation

Bibliographic Data

ID21452003
AuthorsRuolan Deng (0000-0003-3232-0992, Nanyang Technological University, corresponding author), Saifuddin Ahmed (0000-0001-6372-213X, Nanyang Technological University)
Year2025
Volume44
Issue19
Pages4765-4779
Publication date2025-11-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehaviour and Information Technology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-929X • E-ISSN: 1362-3001
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0144929x.2025.2488906
OpenAlexW4409290391
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited66

Despite the increasing social media skepticism in an era of online misinformation, its sociopolitical consequences remain under-explored. This study is among a few that examine the effect of skepticism on online political engagement. With an online sample collected from the U.S., we find a negative impact of social media skepticism on online political participation, mediated by social media news use and expressive use. Furthermore, cognitive ability moderates this relationship, with the negative indirect effect being more pronounced among individuals with lower cognitive ability. This research highlights the potential democratic implications of social media skepticism and enriches the knowledge of its underlying psychological mechanisms. Moreover, it offers a nuanced understanding of the contingent effect of cognitive ability, suggesting its crucial role in mitigating social media skepticism’s adverse effects. This research provides valuable insights for navigating the evolving media landscape

Epistemology · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Skepticism · Social media · Sociology · Unpacking · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOI