The fight for ‘how to think

Traditional media, social networks, and issue interpretation

Bibliographic Data

ID7478253
AuthorsSharon Meraz (University of Illinois Chicago, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume12
Issue1
Pages107-127
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1464884910385193
OpenAlexW2087319814
LanguageEN
Citations received36
References cited50

This study tested social influence theories against traditional media attribute agenda setting theory within 18 ideologically diverse political blogs, two elite traditional media entities, and the latter’s 11 political newsroom blogs across three issues in 2007. Results reveal significant correlations in left-leaning network agendas ranging from 0.64 to 0.91 through all issue periods. Social influence did not homogenize interpretative agendas within the right-leaning network through two of the three issue periods. As predicted, partisan blog networks showed insignificant correlations in attribute agendas, and unlike the left-leaning and moderate blog networks, the right-leaning blog network bore little similarity to traditional media’s issue interpretation across two of the three issues.These findings point to two significant trends: the growing power of social influence among partisan blog networks and the weakening influence of elite, traditional media as a singular power in influencing issue interpretation within networked political environments

Elite · Epistemology · Ideology · Interpretation (philosophy · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Similarity (geometry · Social media · Sociology · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Media Studies and Communication · Social Media and Politics · Artificial Intelligence · Law

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