TY - JOUR
T1 - The Effects of "Friend" Characteristics on Evaluations of an Activist Group in a Social Networking Context
AU - Xu, Qian
AU - Schmierbach, Mike
AU - Bellur, Saraswathi
AU - Ash, Erin
AU - Oeldorf-Hirsch, Anne
AU - Kegerise, Andrew
N1 - Funding Information:
The London research was supported 1975-85 by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, first in the Research Unit for Ethnic Relations at the University of Bristol, and then in the Resource Options Unit at the London School of Economics. The work in Kampala was supported by a research grant from the Overseas Development Administration (UK), covering November 1992 through October 1994. The views expressed in this article are the responsibility of the author, not of the sponsoring agency. I want also to acknowledge the role of the implementing institutions (in Uganda, the Child Health Development Centre/CHDC, Makerere University, Kampala; and in the UK, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the University of Hull), and of the many individuals directly involved in the project, - specifically here, in the items which make up Section V, of my colleagues Jessica Ogden and Valdo Pons.
PY - 2012/5
Y1 - 2012/5
N2 - Research suggests that individuals use cues about the popularity of a cause or group to make judgments. This bandwagon phenomenon has found particular support in online contexts. However, perceptions regarding the group may also depend on the identity of those supporters. We employed a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment to test the effect of number of affiliates and affiliate race and age on feelings toward the group, its page, and intended support. Results suggest that feelings are not subject to a consistent bandwagon effect but rather are moderated by race, with White participants exhibiting more positive feelings when seeing a page with few Black affiliates or many White affiliates. This result contrasts with findings for age, which serves to moderate only intended page use.
AB - Research suggests that individuals use cues about the popularity of a cause or group to make judgments. This bandwagon phenomenon has found particular support in online contexts. However, perceptions regarding the group may also depend on the identity of those supporters. We employed a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment to test the effect of number of affiliates and affiliate race and age on feelings toward the group, its page, and intended support. Results suggest that feelings are not subject to a consistent bandwagon effect but rather are moderated by race, with White participants exhibiting more positive feelings when seeing a page with few Black affiliates or many White affiliates. This result contrasts with findings for age, which serves to moderate only intended page use.
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U2 - 10.1080/15205436.2011.583862
DO - 10.1080/15205436.2011.583862
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84861375481
SN - 1520-5436
VL - 15
SP - 432
EP - 453
JO - Mass Communication and Society
JF - Mass Communication and Society
IS - 3
ER -