Publication

The authors argue that the debate about the political effects of new media has been dominated by an overly general clash between cyber-optimists and pessimists. A more rigorous way of thinking about the possible effects of new media on political conflict suggests five distinct levels of analysis: individual attitudes and competencies; inter-group relations, such as polarization or bridge-building; collective action, such as protest activity or electoral mobilization; regime responses; and external attention. This report seeks to generate new directions for new media research and policy.