Through the grapevine : socially transmitted information and distorted democracy / Taylor N. Carlson.

SeriesChicago studies in American politics
Chicago studies in American politics. ^A786748
Contents How political conversations change the information environment -- Distorted democracy -- Conceptual and empirical measurement -- Distortion -- Underinformed -- Polarized -- Engaged -- Distorted or dysfunctional?
Abstract "Accurate information about politics is at the heart of democratic functioning. For decades, those concerned with the information environment have understandably focused on mass media, but many Americans do not learn about politics from direct engagement with the news. Indeed, about one-third of Americans learn about politics from socially transmitted information they acquire from conversations with others and social media. How does socially transmitted information differ from information communicated by mass media? And what are the consequences for political behavior? Drawing on evidence from experiments, surveys, and Twitter, Taylor Carlson finds that, as information flows from the media to person to person, it becomes sparse, more biased, less accurate, and more mobilizing. The result is what Carlson calls distorted democracy. Although socially transmitted information does not necessarily render democracy dysfunctional, it does contribute to a public that is at once underinformed, polarized, and engaged"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN 2023046438
ISBN9780226834153 hardcover
ISBN0226834158 hardcover
ISBN9780226834177 paperback
ISBN0226834174 paperback
ISBNelectronic book

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks PN4565 .P65 C37 2024 ✔ Available Place Hold