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Conspiracy Beliefs, Misinformation, Social Media Platforms, and Protest Participation
[journal article]
Abstract Protest has long been associated with left-wing actors and left-wing causes. However, right-wing actors also engage in protest. Are right-wing actors mobilized by the same factors as those actors on the left? This article uses cross-national survey data (i.e., US, UK, France, and Canada) gathered in... view more
Protest has long been associated with left-wing actors and left-wing causes. However, right-wing actors also engage in protest. Are right-wing actors mobilized by the same factors as those actors on the left? This article uses cross-national survey data (i.e., US, UK, France, and Canada) gathered in February 2021 to assess the role of misinformation, conspiracy beliefs, and the use of different social media platforms in explaining participation in marches or demonstrations. We find that those who use Twitch or TikTok are twice as likely to participate in marches or demonstrations, compared to non-users, but the uses of these platforms are more highly related to participation in right-wing protests than left-wing protests. Exposure to misinformation on social media and beliefs in conspiracy theories also increase the likelihood of participating in protests. Our research makes several important contributions. First, we separate right-wing protest participation from left-wing protest participation, whereas existing scholarship tends to lump these together. Second, we offer new insights into the effects of conspiracy beliefs and misinformation on participation using cross-national data. Third, we examine the roles of emerging social media platforms such as Twitch and TikTok (as well as legacy platforms such as YouTube and Facebook) to better understand the differential roles that social media platforms play in protest participation.... view less
Keywords
disinformation; social media; protest; political right; opinion formation; political attitude; demonstration
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Interactive, electronic Media
Impact Research, Recipient Research
Free Keywords
Facebook; TikTok; Twitch; YouTube; conspiracy; cross-national; misinformation
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 30-41
Journal
Media and Communication, 10 (2022) 4
Issue topic
Protesting While Polarized: Digital Activism in Contentious Times
ISSN
2183-2439
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed