| Most of my papers can be downloaded from the “Papers” section of this site. A current list of publication is also available via ORCID. Cites to my work are also available via Google Scholar, Web of Science Research ID, and Scopus. Policy briefs and popular press articles are available via the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN), and The Conversation. |
Political misperceptions and the Internet
The past three U.S. Presidential elections have provided a fascinating window into how the Internet is shaping the flow of political misperceptions. Using a nationally representative survey conducted in 2008, representative three-wave panels conducted in 2012 and 2016, and online experiments, my students and I are examining the relationship between online news use, exposure to falsehoods and their rebuttals, and beliefs.
Relevant articles
Budak, Ceren, Bozrath, Lia, Bond, Robert M., Margolin, Drew, Jones, Jason J., & Garrett, R. Kelly. (2023). Bursts of contemporaneous publication among high and low credibility online information providers. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231183617
Li, Q., Bond, R. M., & Garrett, R. Kelly. (2023). Misperceptions in Sociopolitical Context: Belief Sensitivity’s Relationship with Battleground State Status and Partisan Segregation. Journal of Communication, 73(5), 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqad017
Bond, Robert M., & Garrett, R. Kelly. (2023). Engagement with fact-checked posts on Reddit. PNAS Nexus, pgad018. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad018
Poulsen, Shannon H., Bond, Rob M., & Garrett, R. Kelly. (2023). Comparing beliefs in falsehoods based on satiric and non-satiric news. PLOS ONE, 18(1), e0278639. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278639
Sussman, Mark W., Dixon, Graham N., Bushman, Brad J., & Garrett, R. Kelly. (2022). Correcting misperceptions of gun policy support can foster intergroup cooperation between gun owners and non-gun owners. PLOS ONE, 17(1), e0268601. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268601
Garrett, R. K., & Bond, R. M. (2021). Conservatives’ susceptibility to political misperceptions. Science Advances, 7(23), eabf1234. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf1234
Pasquetto, I., Swire-Thompson, B., Amazeen, M. A., Benevenuto, F., Brashier, N. M., Bond, R. M., Bozarth, L. C., Budak, C., Ecker, U., Fazio, L. K., Ferrara, E., Flanagin, A. J., Flammini, A., Freelon, D., Garrett, R. K., Grinberg, N., Hertwig, R., Jamieson, K. H., Joseph, K., … Yang, K. C. (2020). Tackling misinformation: What researchers could do with social media data. The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review. https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-49
Garrett, R. K., Long, J., & Jeong, M. (2019). From Partisan Media to Misperception: Affective Polarization as Mediator. Journal of Communication, 69(5), 490-517. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqz028
Garrett, R. K., Sude, D., & Riva, P. (2019). Toeing the party lie: Ostracism promotes endorsement of partisan election falsehoods. Political Communication, 37(2), 151-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2019.1666943
Garrett, R. K., & Poulsen, S. (2019). Flagging Facebook falsehoods: Self-identified humor warnings outperform fact checker and peer warnings. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 24(5), 240-258. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmz012
Carnahan, D., & Garrett, R. K. (in press; online 2019). Accounting for judgment formation strategy in how people respond to corrective information. International Journal of Public Opinion Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edz037
Garrett, R. K. (2019). Social media’s contribution to political misperceptions in U.S. Presidential elections. PLOS ONE, 14(3), e0213500. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0213500
Na, K., Garrett, R. K., & Slater, M. D. (2018). Rumor Acceptance during Public Health Crises: Testing the Emotional Congruence Hypothesis. Journal of Health Communication, 23(8), 791-799. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2018.1527877
Garrett, R. K. (2018). Strategies for Countering False Information and Beliefs about Climate Change. In M. C. Nisbet, M. Schafer, E. Markowitz, S. Ho, S. O’Neill & J. Thaker (Eds.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.388
Garrett, R. K. (2017). The ‘echo chamber’ distraction: Disinformation campaigns are the problem, not audience fragmentation. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 370-376. doi: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2017.09.011
Garrett, R. K., & Weeks, B. E. (2017). Epistemic beliefs’ role in promoting misperceptions and conspiracist ideation. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184733
Eveland, W. P., Jr, & Garrett, R. K. (2017). Communication Modalities and Political Knowledge. In K. Kenski & K. H. Jamieson (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199793471.013.018
Garrett, R. K., Weeks, B. E., & Neo, R. L. (2016). Driving a wedge between evidence and beliefs: How online ideological news exposure promotes political misperceptions. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 21(5), 331-348. doi: 10.1111/jcc4.12164
Nisbet, E. C., Cooper, K. E., & Garrett, R. K. (2015). The Partisan Brain: How Dissonant Science Messages Lead Conservatives and Liberals to (Dis)trust science. ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 658(1), 36-66. doi: 10.1177/0002716214555474
Garrett, R. K., Nisbet, E. C., & Lynch, E. K. (2013). Undermining the corrective effects of media-based political fact checking? The role of contextual cues and naïve theory. Journal of Communication, 63(4), 617-637. doi: 10.1111/jcom.12038
Garrett, R. K., & Weeks, B. E. (2013, February 23–27). The Promise and Peril of Real-Time Corrections to Political Misperceptions. Paper presented at the CSCW ’13 Proceedings of the 2013 conference on Computer supported cooperative work, San Antonio, TX.
Garrett, R. K. (2011). Troubling consequences of online political rumoring. Human Communication Research, 37(2), 255-274. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2010.01401.x
Popular press articles and policy briefs
- Before You Share, Slow Down and Search, R. Kelly Garrett, Medium. March 18, 2020
- Too many people think satirical news is real, R. Kelly Garrett, Robert Bond & Shannon Poulsen. The Conversation. August 16, 2019
- Fake News is a Symptom— Not the Cause— of Americans’ Growing Reluctance to Accept Shared Facts, R. Kelly Garrett. Scholars Strategy Network. March 2018
- Should we worry that half of Americans trust their gut to tell them what’s true?, R. Kelly Garrett. The Conversation. September 27, 2017
- Facebook’s problem is more complicated than fake news, R. Kelly Garrett. The Conversation. November 16, 2016
- Making sense of the Scalia conspiracy theory, R. Kelly Garrrett. The Conversation. February 22, 2016
- Our partisan brains: exploring the psychology behind denying science, Erik C. Nisbet & R. Kelly Garrett. The Conversation. March 12, 2015
Selective exposure to online political information
Selective exposure describes the active role that individuals play in shaping their information environment. My core contribution to this area of research is to demonstrate that an attraction to pro-attitudinal information and an aversion to counter-attitudinal information are distinct, and that the former is much more common than the latter. This has important implications for how we should expect individuals’ news exposure to change in the face of technologies that increase media choice and that offer recommendations based on prior exposure decisions.
Relevant articles
Wojcieszak, M., & Garrett, R. K. (2018). Social identity, selective exposure, and affective polarization: How priming national identity shapes attitudes toward immigrants via news selection. Human Communication Research, 44(3), 247-273. doi: 10.1093/hcr/hqx010
Garrett, R. K. (2017). On retiring concepts. Annals of the International Communication Association, 41(1), 105-110. doi: 10.1080/23808985.2017.1288553
Carnahan, D., Garrett, R. K., & Lynch, E. (2016). Candidate vulnerability and exposure to counter-attitudinal information: Evidence from two U.S. Presidential elections. Human Communication Research, 42(4), 577-598. doi: 10.1111/hcre.12088
Garrett, R. K. (In press). The ‘echo chamber’ distraction: Disinformation campaigns are the problem, not audience fragmentation. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.
Garrett, R. K. (2017). On retiring concepts. Annals of the International Communication Association, 41(1), 105-110. doi: 10.1080/23808985.2017.1288553
Garrett, R. K. (2013). Selective Exposure: New Methods and New Directions. Communication Methods and Measures, 7(3-4), 247-256. doi: 10.1080/19312458.2013.835796
Garrett, R. K. (2009). Echo chambers online?: Politically motivated selective exposure among Internet news users. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(2), 265-285. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01440.x
Garrett, R. K. (2009). Politically motivated reinforcement seeking: Reframing the selective exposure debate. Journal of Communication, 59(4), 676-699. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01452.x
Garrett, R. K., Carnahan, D., & Lynch, E. K. (2013). A turn toward avoidance? Selective exposure to online political information, 2004-2008. Political Behavior, 35(1), 113-134. doi: 10.1007/s11109-011-9185-6
Garrett, R. K., Dvir-Gvirsman, S., Johnson, B. K., Tsfati, Y., Neo, R., & Dal, A. (2014). Implications of Pro- and Counterattitudinal Information Exposure for Affective Polarization. Human Communication Research, 40(3), 309-332. doi: 10.1111/hcre.12028
Garrett, R. K., & Resnick, P. (2011). Resisting Political Fragmentation on the Internet. Daedalus, 140(4), 108-120. doi: 10.1162/DAED_a_00118
Garrett, R. K., & Stroud, N. J. (2014). Partisan Paths to Exposure Diversity: Differences in Pro- and Counterattitudinal News Consumption. Journal of Communication, 64(4), 680-701. doi: 10.1111/jcom.12105
Holbert, R. L., Garrett, R. K., & Gleason, L. S. (2010). A New Era of Minimal Effects? A Response to Bennett and Iyengar. Journal of Communication, 60(1), 15-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01470.x
Popular press articles and policy briefs
- Americans don’t live in partisan news echo chambers, R. Kelly Garrett, Dustin Carnahan, Emily K. Lynch. London School of Economic (LSE) US Centre (blog). October 14, 2013
Partisan media and polarization
Although I do not believe that echo chamber or filter bubbles are likely to dominate the information landscape, I do have deep concerns about the influence of partisan media. Regular contact with pro-attitudinal content is enough to promote polarization and inaccuracy. Individuals do not need to avoid contact with ideas they disagree with.
Garrett, R. K., & Poulsen, S. (2019). Flagging Facebook falsehoods: Self-identified humor warnings outperform fact checker and peer warnings. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 24(5), 240-258. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmz012
Wojcieszak, M., & Garrett, R. K. (2018). Social identity, selective exposure, and affective polarization: How priming national identity shapes attitudes toward immigrants via news selection. Human Communication Research, 44(3), 247-273. doi: 10.1093/hcr/hqx010
Garrett, R. K., Weeks, B. E., & Neo, R. L. (2016). Driving a wedge between evidence and beliefs: How online ideological news exposure promotes political misperceptions. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 21(5), 331-348. doi: 10.1111/jcc4.12164
Dvir-Gvirsman, S., Garrett, R. K., & Tsfati, Y. (2015 online first). Why Do Partisan Audience Participate? Perceived Public Opinion as the Mediating Mechanism. Communication Research. doi: 10.1177/0093650215593145
Brundidge, J., Garrett, R. K., Rojas, H., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2014). Political Participation and Ideological News Online: “Differential Gains” and “Differential Losses” in a Presidential Election Cycle. Mass Communication and Society, 17(4), 464-486. doi: 10.1080/15205436.2013.821492
Garrett, R. K., Dvir-Gvirsman, S., Johnson, B. K., Tsfati, Y., Neo, R., & Dal, A. (2014). Implications of Pro- and Counterattitudinal Information Exposure for Affective Polarization. Human Communication Research, 40(3), 309-332. doi: 10.1111/hcre.12028
Holbert, R. L., Garrett, R. K., & Gleason, L. S. (2010). A New Era of Minimal Effects? A Response to Bennett and Iyengar. Journal of Communication, 60(1), 15-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01470.x
Theoretically informed design of political news systems
I want to find ways to use our theoretical understanding of selective exposure and political misperceptions to shape the design of online news systems that help citizens become better informed. My article with Paul Resnick offers an example of what this work can look like. My work with NewsTrust is another example. NewsTrust was a non-profit organization that aimed to create a volunteer-driven news rating and fact-checking service. The organization created online tools designed to help users accurately assess the quality of news content, and that aggregated results so that visitors can quickly and easily find reliable sources and careful reporting on topics that matter to them. As a member of the advisory board from 2005-2011, when the project was taken over by Poynter, I regularly consulted on the design of the system, which provided me a unique opportunity to apply my research to real-world design problems.
Relevant articles
Budak, C., Garrett, R. K., Resnick, P., & Kamin, J. (2017). Threading is Sticky: How Threaded Conversations Promote Comment System User Retention. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 1(2). doi: 10.1145/3134662
Garrett, R. K., & Weeks, B. E. (2013, February 23–27). The Promise and Peril of Real-Time Corrections to Political Misperceptions. Paper presented at the CSCW ’13 Proceedings of the 2013 conference on Computer supported cooperative work, San Antonio, TX.
Garrett, R. K., & Resnick, P. (2011). Resisting Political Fragmentation on the Internet. Daedalus, 140(4), 108-120. doi: 10.1162/DAED_a_00118
Social movements and new ICTs
My interest in contentious politics is the foundation for many of the projects I have undertaken. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used in ways that sometimes challenge and other times affirm our notions of how citizens grapple with controversial issues and difficult decisions. A changing technological environment affords scholars a unique opportunity to learn about, and potentially shape, these important processes.
Relevant articles
Earl, J., & Garrett, R. K. (2017). The new information frontier: Toward a more nuanced view of social movement communication. Social Movement Studies, 16(4), 479-493. doi: 10.1080/14742837.2016.1192028
Earl, J., Hunt, J., & Garrett, R. K. (2014). Social movements and the ICT Revolution. In H.-A. van der Heijden (Ed.), Handbook of Political Citizenship and Social Movements (pp. 359-383). Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
Earl, J., Hunt, J., Garrett, R. K., & Dal, A. (2014). New Technologies and Social Movements. In D. Della Porta & M. Diani (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Social Movements.
Garrett, R. K. (2006). Protest in an Information Society: A Review of Literature on Social Movements and New ICTs. Information, Communication and Society, 9(2), 202-224. doi: 10.1080/13691180600630773
Garrett, R. K., & Edwards, P. N. (2007). Revolutionary Secrets: Technology’s Role in the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement. Social Science Computer Review, 25(1), 13-26. doi: 10.1177/0894439306289556