The study, published in Information, Communication and Society, used egocentric network methods to examine how social media affects echo chambers for rural families. The sample included 500 undergraduate students at a large public Midwestern university and one of their parents, creating 500 student–parent pairs. Rural status was assigned from ZIP code at the time of application. Participants completed a survey about personal network diversity, social media use and social tolerance.
Overall, attending university was associated with knowing more diverse acquaintances and with greater social tolerance. Social media use was also generally tied to wider, more diverse networks and to greater acceptance of different people.
However, the relationship changed when parents and students used the same platforms. Students who had been at university longer and who shared platforms with parents tended to report less diverse networks and lower tolerance. By contrast, parents who shared platforms with their children had more racially and ethnically diverse networks and greater tolerance; parents who did not share platforms saw their networks grow less diverse over time.
Difficult words
- egocentric — focused on a single person's social connections
- echo chamber — group where people hear only similar opinionsecho chambers
- rural — relating to the countryside or small towns
- undergraduate — a student studying for a first university degreeundergraduate students
- social tolerance — acceptance of people from different groups
- platform — an online service people use to communicateplatforms
- network — a person's set of social contacts and relationsnetworks
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- In your experience, can going to university change a person's social network? Why or why not?
- Would you share social media platforms with a parent? How might that affect your online contacts?
- Do you think living in a rural area changes how social media affects people's views and contacts? Explain your opinion.
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