Illusions of Echo Chambers: Perceptions About Personalized News Environment and Political Consequences Shengchun Huang

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Huang, Shengchun, author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Communication., degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

0459.

0615.

0900.

Local Subjects:

0459.

0615.

0900.

Physical Description:

1 electronic resource (217 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 87-07A

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2025

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Widespread concerns about echo chambers and ideological silos have pervaded both public discourse and scholarly debate, yet empirical research offers mixed evidence on their actual scope and political consequences. This dissertation shifts the analytical focus from the actual media landscape to the perceived media environments of others by introducing the concept of Perceptions of Personalized Media Environments (PoP)-the lay beliefs individuals hold about what information different audiences receive and how that information is curated. Drawing on theories of naïve realism, presumed media influence, and attribution theory, the dissertation theorizes the misperception of outparty members' media environments and investigates its causes and consequences. Using a nationally representative survey and two preregistered survey experiments, this work provides the first comprehensive mapping of public perceptions of media environments in the algorithmic era. It also advances an attribution-based theory of media perception, showing how people's judgments of others hinge not only on what content they believe others are exposed to, but also on how much they hold individuals versus platforms accountable for that exposure. These perceptions, while do not impact affective polarization directly, shape interpersonal blame evaluations, which is indirectly correlated to polarization-related attitudes. This dissertation contributes to both political communication and human-computer interaction by expanding how media perception is conceptualized in an age of algorithmic mediation. It also reinvigorates the tradition of indirect media effects by incorporating technology-level attributions, offering new theoretical and practical pathways for mitigating political animosity and fostering democratic empathy

Notes:

Advisors: Lelkes, Yphtach Committee members: González-Bailón, Sandra; Delli Carpini, Michael X.

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-07, Section: A.

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2025

Vendor supplied data

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798276006963

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license