Can political internet memes influence information selection of young adults? Examining the mediating roles of issue-specific interest, perceived issue importance, and humor
- This study explores the potential of political internet memes as stimulators of political information selection by examining the mediating roles of issue-specific interest, perceived issue importance, and humor. In the run-up to a national popular vote, we exposed 584 Swiss adolescents to political and non-political internet memes in a randomized between-subjects online experiment. Although no direct or indirect effects on information selection were observed, results strongly suggest that political memes—and, to a lesser extent, non-political memes—raised interest in political issues and increased their perceived importance. Our analysis yields novel insights into how political learning unfolds within digital information environments, which are discussed in the concluding section of the paper.
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