Social media and online media diversity: a global comparison of 150 countries from 2014 to 2022

While social media plays a prominent role in global journalism, its influence on media diversity is under debate. This paper aims to examine the relationship between social media and online media diversity. The research framework posits that online media diversity is shaped between social media empowerment and the existing power structure. Social media empowerment is specified by the degree to which social media allows audience participation, consisting of two levels of participatory intensity – social media adoption (low) and organization (high). We explore how adoption and organization are associated with online media diversity in three country groups with varied levels of press freedom (low, middle, and high), which specifies the degree to which the existing power structure controls online media outlets by shaping their functions, norms, and practices. Using country-level data from Varieties of Democracy and other sources, we analyze a panel sample of 150 countries from 2014 to 2022. We find that social media adoption and organization are associated with online media diversity in different ways within and between country groups. From a comparative perspective, the findings enhance our understanding of the theories of normalization and power shift, which account for power relations between social media and media organizations.