A Bigger Pie: The Effects of High-Speed Internet on Political Behavior. Issue 3 (17th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lelkes, Yphtach
• Is Part Of: Journal of computer-mediated communication. Volume 25:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 199
• Page End: 216
• Publication Date: 2020-05-17
• Subjects: Political Communication -- Political Behavior -- Internet Speed -- Digital Divide -- Political Information -- Broadband; Telematics -- Periodicals; Computer networks -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Communication -- Periodicals; 302.20285
• DOI: 10.1093/jcmc/zmaa002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1083-6101

Abstract

Abstract: The impact of broader media choice on political behavior is central to the study of political communication. The availability of high-speed Internet, which allows for high bandwidth media on demand, has given consumers virtually unlimited information choices. Most research assumes that the time spent online is fixed; therefore, broader media choice decreases news consumption, political knowledge, and turnout, especially among the politically uninterested. In this article, I explore another possibility: as Internet quality improves, we spend more time online and consume more information, which subsequently increases knowledge and turnout. To test this possibility, I link geocoded Internet download speed data with survey data. A series of studies indicate that higher quality Internet increases political information search, news consumption, and political knowledge, although perhaps not turnout. This work suggests that our assumption of trade-offs between news consumption and entertainment may need reconsideration.