The relationship between cyberbalkanization and opinion polarization : time-series analysis on Facebook pages and opinion polls during the Hong Kong occupy movement and the associated debate on political reform

DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12192
URL:	https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318912337...
Additional URL:	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcc4.12...
Document Type:	Article
Year of publication:	2017
The title of a journal, publication series:	Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication : JCMC
Volume:	22
Issue number:	5
Page range:	266-283
Place of publication:	Hoboken, NJ [u.a.]
Publishing house:	Wiley-Blackwell [u.a.]
ISSN:	1083-6101
Publication language:	English
Institution:	School of Humanities > Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (Wessler 2007-) Außerfakultäre Einrichtungen > Mannheim Centre for European Social Research - Research Department B
Subject:	320 Political science
Abstract:	Online activity is often cyberbalkanized, but it remains unclear whether this phenomenon leads to polarization of public opinion or if the relationship works in the reverse direction. This study tested the temporal association between cyberbalkanization and opinion polarization during the debate on political reform in Hong Kong. Online communities were constructed by a post-sharing network of 1,644 Facebook pages (101,410 shares); the differences between intra- and inter-community shares were derived, and a cyberbalkanization index was computed. A time-series analysis showed that the index temporally preceded the opinion polarization, i.e., most of the opinion poll's respondents gave extreme ratings to government leaders, but not vice versa. The index was particularly predictive of polarization among youth.
Additional information:	Online-Ressource