Changing Inequalities

Question 1

Markus Prior (2005)

Answer 1

• What would greater media choice mean?
  
  • Greater media choice, greater voluntary segmentation of electorate.
• Accidental exposure is less likely in a high choice environment.
• From socio-economic status based gaps to preference-based groups.
  
  • Relative preference for news + access to cable and/or internet–> more knowledge
  • Relative preference for entertainment + access to cable and/or internet–> less knowledge
    *

Question 2

Markus Prior (2005) Findings

Answer 2

• The effects of cable & internet are additive.
• Cable & internet combined have higher effect on learning than either alone
• People with low entertainment preference, when provided with high choice media environment, consume ‘vast news’
• Increase in media choice will lead to an increase between high and low levels of media knowledge.

Question 3

Study from Japan (Koboyashi and Inamasu 2015)

Answer 3

• Thesis: could usage of news portal sites level off the preference-based gaps?
• ~800 adults in Tokyo
• Key variables:
  
  • Relative entertainment preference
  • Exposure to Y! Japan
  • Exposure to newspaper sites

Question 4

Koboyashi & Inamasu Study Findings

Answer 4

• Network portal sites attract the highest level of net users.
• Increase in relative entertainment preference is associated with lower political knowledge.
• Exposure to tpoics on portal sites mitigated negative impact of relative entertainment preference (reduce inequality).

Question 5

Social Media Study Design

Answer 5

• ~300 adults
• Measured civic and issue knowledge
• Observed how often people used Facebook, Twitter, etc. to engage in conversation on politics.

Question 6

Social Media Results

Answer 6

People with higher education…

• Who used blogs for political knowledge had greater knowledge (increasing the gap)
• Were more likely to engage in digital media activities
• –>Conclusion: Social media can cantribute to widening of gap of inequality of political knowledge.

Question 7

Francis Lee (2015) on Internet Alternate Media: Background Info.

Answer 7

• Premise: internet is not a monolithic entity.
• Key concept: oppositional knowledge
• Where is such ‘oppositional information?
  
  • In a liberal democracy. (Present but not salient in mainstream media.)
  • In an authoritarian society: not available in mainstream media.

Question 8

Francis Lee (2015) Study Design

Answer 8

• Hong Kong (a hybrid society)
• During ‘Occupy Central’ movement over how to implement a system to elect head SAR of government via popular votes.
• Two sites: Hong Kong In-media, The House News
  *

Question 9

Oppositional knowledge (Francis Lee 2015)

Answer 9

• Facts and concepts that are..
  
  • Important in the formation of critical values toward power
  • Important in generating support for participation in oppositional actions.

Question 10

Markus Prior (2005) Study Design

Answer 10

• Panel survey (longitudinal, repeated at time intervals)
• ~1000 people
• 1/2 of households had internet access
• Key variable: relative entertaiment preference
• Dep. variable: political knowledge (events, office holders institutions & processes)
• Controls: civic knowledge, demographic