Do elite cues explain partisan policy preferences for online content moderation?
For those attending in-person, the entrance to CESS is located at George Street Mews and you will need to ring the bell when you have arrived.
Why do Republicans and Democrats in the United States disagree about what type of content, including disinformation and hate speech, should be regulated online? Current explanations for partisan disagreement about disinformation regulation focus on the role of motivated reasoning, internalized preferences (such as moral values), or fact gaps—differences in perceptions about what is untrue—between political partisans. Yet, little, if any, work has been done that seeks to understand the impact of in-group elite, partisan cues on preferences for online speech regulation. This experimental study aims to add to our understanding of whether elite cues cause heterogeneity in partisan policy preferences. Through an experiment showing respondents false tweets by prominent elites aligned with their own or the opposing party, my findings will shed light on the mechanisms driving public attitude formation. Further, my results will provide insight into pathways to resolve disagreements about content moderation, which is relevant for policymakers, social media companies, and other entities interested in protecting online freedom of expression.
Date: 6 March 2024, 14:00 (Wednesday, 8th week, Hilary 2024)
Venue: Centre for Experimental Social Sciences, George Street OX1 2AA
Venue Details: This is a hybrid event--interested participants can attend in person at Cess's conference room or virtually via Zoom.
Speaker: Joshua Berry (University of Oxford)
Organising department: Nuffield College
Organiser: Noah Bacine (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: Noah.Bacine@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Host: Noah Bacine (University of Oxford)
Part of: CESS Colloquium Series
Booking required?: Recommended
Booking url: https://cess-nuffield.nuff.ox.ac.uk/events/colloquium/joshua-berry-university-of-oxford/
Booking email: Noah.Bacine@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Audience: Public
Editors: Noah Bacine, Martina Beretta