This online experiment explored how contextual information embedded in new media channels such as YouTube may serve as normative social cues to users. Specifically, we examined whether the number of views listed under a YouTube video about climate change would elicit inferences regarding how “others” feel about the climate issue and, consequently, might influence perceptions of issue salience. Participants in this experiment were exposed to a YouTube video about climate change using two experimental conditions, one providing a small number of views under the video and the second listing a large number of views. Results suggest that the “number of views” cue did, indeed, influence participant perceptions of the importance assigned by other Americans to the issue of climate change. Further, compared to low self-monitoring participants, high self-monitoring participants registered an increase in their own judgment of issue importance.
Associated Projects
TEAM MEMBERS
James Spartz
Author
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Leona Yi-Fan Su
Author
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Robert Griffin
Author
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dominique Brossard
Author
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Sharon Dunwoody
Author
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Citation
DOI
:
10.1080/17524032.2015.1047887
ISSN
:
1752-4040
Publication Name:
Environmental Communication
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