Selective Exposure

Types: Selection of like-minded information (selective exposure)

"Traditional" selective exposure; People tend to discuss politics with those with whom they agree; Partisans select like-minded news outlets

Why?: Motivated reasoning: Think about our goals for seeking information (selective exposure)

Accuracy: to learn the facts about something; Directional: to support a position that we already hold

What Is It? (selective exposure)

Any discussion of media effects in this age must account for selective exposure

Selective exposure isn't all bad (selective exposure)

Could encourage political participation

Types: Selection of media genre (selective exposure)

Do people choose news or entertainment?; Related to uses and gratifications

Want to overcome selective exposure?: Motivate people to have accuracy goals (selective exposure)

Goal = be correct, rather than consistent w/ own attitude

Types: Selection of medium (selective exposure)

Internet vs. TV; Relevant when seeking info less prevalent in other media

Types: Selection of specific issues (selective exposure)

Issue public: groups that find certain issues particularly important; Select information about those issues more than info about other issues

Why?: Mood (selective exposure)

Negative moods →like-minded info or entertainment; "Mood-management"

Why?: Motivated reasoning (selective exposure)

We are also motivated to process information to fit preconceived beliefs and attitudes

Why?: Cognitive dissonance (selective exposure)

We don't like holding contradictory thoughts; Selecting like-minded info may help us avoid contradictions

Want to overcome selective exposure?: Motivate people with accountability (selective exposure)

You will have to explain and justify opinions face-to-face: Other w/ unknown opinion →engage more w/ info; Other w/ opposing opinion →carefully assess arguments

Opinion leaders (selective exposure)

exacerbate selective exposure; Some people are more important than others in transmitting influential opinions

Why?: Motivated reasoning: Frequently, we want new info to match what we already believe (selective exposure)

we go to sources where we expect to find such info, This is the selective exposure part of it

What Influences It?: Individual characteristics (selective exposure)

↑ Attitudinal certainty →↑ Selective exposure; ↑ Strength of attitudes →↑ Selective exposure; ↑ Political knowledge →↑ Selective exposure

What Influences It?: Contextual characteristics (selective exposure)

↑ Usefulness of information →↓ Selective exposure; ↑ Information choices →↑ Selective exposure (The paradox of choice)

Why?: Cognitive effort (selective exposure)

Processing like-minded info requires less thinking than processing counterattitudinal info

Selective exposure (selective exposure)

The motivated selection of messages; Preference for like-minded messages

Why?: Perceived information quality (selective exposure)

We prefer high-quality info over low quality; Our beliefs influence quality judgments (Likely to believe that like-minded info is more credible and higher quality)