The Indirect Effects of Episodic-Thematic Framing on Information Sharing About the Economic Threat of Artificial Intelligence

Bibliographic Data

ID21633188
AuthorsAlex W Kirkpatrick (0000-0003-1674-4015, Washington State University, corresponding author), Jay D Hmielowski (0000-0001-6449-4714, University of Florida), Amanda D Boyd (0000-0002-6055-2128, Washington State University)
Year2022
Volume73
Issue5-6
Pages577-590
Publication date2022-11-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunication Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1051-0974 • E-ISSN: 1745-1035
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10510974.2022.2121737
OpenAlexW4295350373
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited30

Developing artificial intelligence (AI) equitably necessitates understanding how nonexperts conceptualize and share news about technoscientific risk. We examine a model predicting AI information sharing online from an interaction of framing strategies, through psychological proximity to the impacts of AI and perceived AI risk. A panel of N = 412 participants were exposed to either a control message; or one of four manipulated messages related to AI risks. Contrary to expectations, thematically framed explicit risk news primed psychological proximity compared to both a control message and episodic frame condition. Meanwhile, episodic explicit risk frames did not prime psychological proximity over a control message. These results contest the notion that episodic frames should be associated with psychological proximity to a risk over more general framing strategies. Our results support prior research suggesting that where risk-news primes psychological proximity, the decrease in distance is in-turn associated with greater risk perception and increased likelihood of news sharing online

Cognitive psychology · CONTEST · Framing effect · Perception · Persuasion · Political science · Risk perception · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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