Social Media Use and Interpersonal Discussion in Democratic Political Process: Examining Differential Gains from Social Media

The concept that personal political discussion can alter the potency of media on individuals' understanding and engagement in politics has been increasingly recognized. The differential gains model explains that such discussions enhance the ability to gather information from media sources. In this context, social media, as a source of political information, interact with personal political discussions, to affect people’s political outcomes. Keeping the differential gains model in view, this research investigates how using social media and engaging in political discussions affects people's political understanding and involvement. The findings indicate that the interconnection between social media usage and political outcomes, including understanding and participation, is more significant among users who more often engage in political discussions. KCI Citation Count: 0