In this engaging discussion, Taylor N. Carlson, an associate professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis, delves into the dynamics of how information spreads in today's society. He explains that a significant portion of Americans now rely on peer-to-peer communication rather than traditional media for political insights. Carlson reveals the consequences of this shift, including increased bias and misinformation, leading to distorted democratic processes. He also explores the dual impact of social conversations on public attitudes, especially regarding critical issues like immigration and environmental policy.
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insights INSIGHT
Socially Transmitted Information and Democracy
Taylor N. Carlson's book, "Through the Grapevine," examines how information changes as it's socially transmitted.
It explores how this impacts political attitudes, behavior, and the functioning of democracy.
insights INSIGHT
Information Distortion in Social Transmission
Socially transmitted information tends to become sparse, biased, less accurate, and more mobilizing.
This distortion occurs as information flows from media to individuals and then to others through conversations.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Differing Interpretations of News
Participants in a study summarized the same news article about Biden's border policies in vastly different ways.
A Democrat focused on the path to citizenship, while a Republican emphasized border security failures.
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Socially Transmitted Information and Distorted Democracy
Taylor N. Carlson
Taylor N. Carlson's "Through the Grapevine" examines how information spreads through social media and its impact on political attitudes and behavior. The book reveals how information becomes distorted as it's passed from person to person, leading to a less informed, more polarized public. Carlson uses experiments, surveys, and social media data to support her findings. The study highlights the contrast between information from traditional media and socially transmitted information. Ultimately, the book explores the implications of this distorted information flow for democratic processes.
Accurate information is at the heart of democratic functioning. For decades, researchers interested in how information is disseminated have focused on mass media, but the reality is that many Americans today do not learn about politics from direct engagement with the news. Rather, about one-third of Americans learn chiefly from information shared by their peers in conversation or on social media. How does this socially transmitted information differ from that communicated by traditional media? What are the consequences for political attitudes and behavior?
Drawing on evidence from experiments, surveys, and social media, in Through the Grapevine: Socially Transmitted Information and Distorted Democracy(University of Chicago Press, 2024) Dr. Taylor N. Carlson finds that, as information flows first from the media then person to person, it becomes sparse, more biased, less accurate, and more mobilizing. The result is what Carlson calls distorted democracy. Although socially transmitted information does not necessarily render democracy dysfunctional, Through the Grapevine shows how it contributes to a public that is at once underinformed, polarized, and engaged.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.