What is it about?
This study examines whether people from different political sides engage with each other online or stay locked in separate “echo chambers.” The researchers analyzed over 58,000 posts and 3.4 million comments from three Reddit communities, r/politics, r/democrats, and r/Republican, in the wake of the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots. Using text and network analysis, they studied how members of each group discussed the events and whether there was any overlap in how they understood and described them.
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Why is it important?
If political groups can’t find common ground or even a shared understanding of events, polarization deepens and democratic dialogue suffers. This research sheds light on how partisans communicate during major political events, helping us understand the limits — and possibilities — of bridging divides in today’s online spaces.
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This page is a summary of: Bridging Echo Chambers? Understanding Political Partisanship through Semantic Network Analysis, Social Media + Society, July 2023, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/20563051231186368.
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