Selective exposure: Exposing a Few Selected Theoretical Aspects

Selective exposure is a phenomenon studied by scholars for decades. Its prominence can be explained by certain potential consequences for democratic societies which include polarization and growing support for extreme views.The media selective exposure approach generated hundreds of publications, however, this growth in new facts and information does not seem to advance much of a paradigmatic consensus on theoretical foundations and practical utility of this line of research.This article aims at assessing whether the key concepts and models of selective exposure represent a cohesive body of knowledge empowering researchers. It also encourages them to seek new knowledge, and test new links. Researchers can also evaluate whether there are some controversial or not sufficiently explicated elements requiring reassessment.This article is a modest effort to assess what is really known and agreed upon in such important pillars of any theory such as definitions and models of selective exposure. This piece also suggests which aspects of selective exposure may need further clarification

More Than a Glance: Investigating the Differential Efficacy of Radicalizing Graphical Cues with Right-Wing Messages

In recent years, online radicalization has received increasing attention from researchers and policymakers, for instance, by analyzing online communication of radical groups and linking it to individual and collective pathways of radicalization into violent extremism. But these efforts often focus on radical individuals or groups as senders of radicalizing messages, while empirical research on the recipient is scarce. To study the impact of radicalized online content on vulnerable individuals, this study compared cognitive and affective appraisal and visual processing (via eye tracking) of three political Internet memes (empowering a right-wing group, inciting violence against out-groups, and emphasizing unity among human beings) between a right-wing group and a control group. We examined associations between socio-political attitudes, appraisal ratings, and visual attention metrics (total dwell time, number of fixations). The results show that right-wing participants perceived in-group memes (empowerment, violence) more positively and messages of overarching similarities much more negatively than controls. In addition, right-wing participants and participants in the control group with a high support for violence directed their attention towards graphical cues of violence (e.g., weapons), differentness, and right-wing groups (e.g., runes), regardless of the overall message of the meme. These findings point to selective exposure effects and have implications for the design and distribution of de-radicalizing messages and counter narratives to optimize the efficacy of prevention of online radicalization

The Role of Social Comparison in Emotional Responses and Exposure to Reality and Scripted Television Programs

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Mass Communications/Telecommunications, 2015The goal of this dissertation was to examine how social comparisons with entertainment television cast members influence emotional responses to reality television programming. Two studies were employed to examine social comparison processes and the relevant factors that influence those comparisons. Both studies were similar in design in that participants viewed a reality or scripted television program and then reported their emotional responses to it. However, the first study utilized a forced exposure environment and the second study implemented a selective exposure environment. There were similarities among the emotional responses to the content across both studies, where generally, viewers experienced stronger social comparison-related emotional responses to scripted programs as compared to reality programs. However, several important differences regarding exposure settings emerged. Negative emotional responses were generally stronger for those in a forced exposure environment than those in a selective exposure environment. Accordingly, positive emotional responses were stronger for those in a selective exposure environment as compared to those in a forced exposure environment. Some participants selected programs for the experience of ‘guilty pleasure,’ choosing programs featuring cast members who were clearly worse off than them and engaging in downward social comparisons with those characters. Individual differences including perceived realism of television and perceived similarity to the characters also demonstrated to be relevant factors that influenced social comparison processes, where stronger emotional responses to the content were experienced when it was either more realistic (Study One) or when the viewers felt highly similar to the cast members (Study Two). Overall, the presented findings provide evidence that directional social comparisons occur with mediated television characters during and after viewing. The findings here serve to inform future research in social comparison theory’s application in mediated contexts and to illustrate how individual differences, content factors, and exposure can influence emotional responses to mediated characters in an entertainment environment

Studies of bacterial and insect cytochromes P450 in degradation of pesticides

Cytochromes P450 is a group of heme-containing enzymes with diverse catalytic activity that can be used for the biodegradation of environmental chemicals. Cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1) from the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida is known for hydroxylating camphor. Here, I have investigated the dehalogenation ability of two P450cam mutants, ES6 (G120S) and ES7 (V247F/D297N/K314E), in comparison to the wild-type (WT) enzyme. Six hexachlorinated persistent organic pollutants (POP), namely endosulfan (ES), ES diol, ES lactone, ES ether, ES sulfate and heptachlor, were tested since they are similarly structured to the native substrate. The mutated enzymes were capable of converting the selected substrates to phenols and o-quinones, which were detected using a colorimetric assay with 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP). Kinetic studies and statistical analysis were carried out and it was found that both ES6 and ES7 are significantly more active than the WT, with the highest activity noticed against ES ether and heptachlor. The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is a vital pollinator of the ecosystem, however, its being threatened by the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor. This pest is becoming immune towards commercially available pesticides, thus, new control agents have been previously synthesized that showed miticidal effects. Fortunately, insect cytochromes P450 are known to be responsible for the metabolism of such xenobiotics. Here, I have tested the ability of three potent dialkoxybenzene compounds, namely 1-allyloxy-4-propoxybenzene (3c{3,6}), 1,4-dipropoxybenzene (3c{3,3}) and 1,4-diallyloxybenzene (3c{6,6}), to get degraded by honey bee cytochromes P450. The formation of the dealkylated products was detected in abdomen extracts using a colorimetric assay with 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP). Kinetic studies and statistical analysis showed a downregulation of detectable P450 activity in the treated vs. the untreated extracts. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) quantitative assays were carried out and three dealkylated products were found, hydroquinone (HQ), 1-hydroxy-4-propoxybenzene (2c{3}) and 1-hydroxy-4-allyloxybenzene (2c{6})

‘You Are What You Read:’ Is selective exposure a way people tell us who they are?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156182/2/bjop12414_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156182/1/bjop12414.pd

Knowledge Resistance in High-Choice Information Environments

This book offers a truly interdisciplinary exploration of our patterns of engagement with politics, news, and information in current high-choice information environments. Putting forth the notion that high-choice information environments may contribute to increasing misperceptions and knowledge resistance rather than greater public knowledge, the book offers insights into the processes that influence the supply of misinformation and factors influencing how and why people expose themselves to and process information that may support or contradict their beliefs and attitudes. A team of authors from across a range of disciplines address the phenomena of knowledge resistance and its causes and consequences at the macro- as well as the micro-level. The chapters take a philosophical look at the notion of knowledge resistance, before moving on to discuss issues such as misinformation and fake news, psychological mechanisms such as motivated reasoning in processes of selective exposure and attention, how people respond to evidence and fact-checking, the role of political partisanship, political polarization over factual beliefs, and how knowledge resistance might be counteracted. This book will have a broad appeal to scholars and students interested in knowledge resistance, primarily within philosophy, psychology, media and communication, and political science, as well as journalists and policymakers

News Representation and Sense of Belonging Among Multicultural Audiences

This study seeks to understand the role of representation in news media, trust in news, and participation in multicultural audiences' sense of belonging to society. A multimodal survey combining online, CATI, and CAPI methods was conducted in Australia at the end of 2021 and early 2022 (N = 1,084). The top five non-English language communities in Australia (Arabic, Cantonese, Italian, Mandarin, and Vietnamese) were included in the survey, of which n = 851 were born overseas. The findings reveal a significant link between the perception of sufficient representation in Australian news media, trust in news, confidence to participate in society, and sense of belonging. When multicultural audiences see themselves fairly and adequately represented in the news, they are more likely to trust the news and participate in the community by discussing the news and current affairs. This, in turn, leads to a stronger sense of belonging to society. We also found confidence in English and time spent in Australia were important factors contributing to perceptions of representation. While the length of stay has a positive impact on the perception of representation among those with high confidence in English, this perception is significantly lower among those who have lower confidence. This result confirms the significant role language proficiency plays in migrants' experiences in the host country