Ahmed, S., Madrid-Morales, D. and Tully, M. (2022) Social media, misinformation, and age inequality in online political engagement. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 20 (3). pp. 269-285. ISSN 1933-1681
Abstract
This study explores the role of political information seeking on social media and perceived exposure to misinformation in influencing online political engagement. A survey investigation of three Sub-Saharan African countries (Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa) suggests that both information seeking and perceived exposure to misinformation are positively associated with online political engagement. We find that younger citizens are more actively engaged in online political activities. However, we also find that perceived exposure to misinformation has varying effects on political engagement across age groups. More frequent perceived exposure to misinformation is found to be a mobilizer for online political engagement for the older population. We conclude with a discussion of how social media may facilitate greater engagement for the older population. Still, the mobilizing role of misinformation exposure raises concerns about the consequences of such political engagement. Theoretical implications for political engagement research, in general and in the countries under study, are discussed.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 Taylor & Francis. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Information Technology and Politics. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Political engagement; survey; misinformation; information seeking; political inequality; Sub-Saharan Africa |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Journalism Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 11 Jul 2022 09:39 |
Last Modified: | 10 Jul 2024 15:50 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/19331681.2022.2096743 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:188926 |