Effects of Social Media Involvement, Context, and Data-Type on Opinion Formation

Social media is a pervasive and ubiquitous form of digital communication and serves as a primary source of information for many individuals. At present, little is known about the effect of social media information on opinion formation. In a sample of 2222 individuals, we examined three elements that can affect opinion formation about information that is shared via social media. The context of the information, source of the information, and social media information type (i.e., image, video, or message) were all significantly related to opinion formation. A unique social media involvement score was covaried in secondary analyses, which demonstrated that frequency of social media use, duration of social media use, perceived influence in social media network, and the diversity of one's social media network can impact opinion formation thresholds. The practical and theoretical implications of this research are discussed.