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This research investigates how mass media and social media shape affective polarization in the context of political communication.

How Mass and Social Media (De) polarize America: Exposure to News Media, Expression on Social Media, and Affective Polarization

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This research investigates how mass media and social media shape affective polarization in the context of political communication.
Used a two-wave representative panel survey during the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Examined the influence of mass media, social media, and interpersonal discussion on affective polarization.
Applied the communication mediation framework to analyze pathways of influence.
Like-minded news use increases affective polarization through attitude extremity and political expression on social media.
Exposure to cross-cutting news reduces affective polarization via similar mechanisms.
Findings highlight significant pathways in political communication that impact polarization attitudes.

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Randomized trial reveals how media exposure affects political polarization, indicating significant communication pathways.

Lee et al. (2026) studied this question.

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