The effects of disagreement and unfriending on
political polarization: a moderated-mediation model
of cross-cutting discussion on affective polarization
via unfriending contingent upon exposure to incivility

Dublin Core

Title

The effects of disagreement and unfriending on
political polarization: a moderated-mediation model
of cross-cutting discussion on affective polarization
via unfriending contingent upon exposure to incivility

Subject

social media, cross-cutting discussion, affective polarization, online incivility, unfriending

Description

Cross-cutting discussion is the foundation of deliberative democracy. However, previous research has reported inconsistent results regarding
the effects of exposure to dissimilar perspectives on political polarization. This study aims to extend the literature by exploring how cross-cutting
discussion influences affective polarization through unfriending and how this indirect effect is contingent upon exposure to incivility. The study
analyzes panel data from a two-wave online survey conducted in South Korea (N 1⁄4 890). The results show a significantly positive indirect effect
of unfriending, suggesting that cross-cutting discussion further reinforces affective polarization via unfriending. Furthermore, the study identifies
the boundary conditions for this mediating mechanism, showing that the mediated relationship of cross-cutting discussion on affective
polarization via unfriending is stronger for those who are more exposed to incivility on social media.

Creator

Han Lin1
, Yi Wang1

, Janggeun Lee1

, Yonghwan Kim1,*

Source

https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad022

Date

3 May 2023

Contributor

PERI IRAWAN

Format

PDF

Language

ENGLISH

Type

TEXT

Files

Collection

Citation

Han Lin1 , Yi Wang1 , Janggeun Lee1 , Yonghwan Kim1,*, “The effects of disagreement and unfriending on
political polarization: a moderated-mediation model
of cross-cutting discussion on affective polarization
via unfriending contingent upon exposure to incivility,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed May 22, 2025, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/8691.