Opinion Change and Democracy in Private Media, Public Service Media, and Social Media Platforms: An Introduction

As with any scholarly endeavor, the ultimate aim of this book is to understand, describe, reason, theorize, and—although often not explicitly stated or directly achieved—intellectually influence. Our focus is on the nature and effects of political persuasion, as it affects opinion change processes in democratic societies, within three of today’s most pertinent media ecologies: public service media, private mass media, and social media platforms. The distinctions among these domains demand a nuanced understanding of the media’s nature that enables the persuasive process, as well as the characteristics of those who persuade and are persuaded. The theoretical and empirical exploration of the dynamics of persuasion in mass media, along with its effects on public opinion, represents a major undertaking traditionally associated with the social sciences in general and communication studies in particular. This book is grounded in, and aspires to modestly contribute to, this specific theoretical tradition.