6.2 Cognitive Dissonance and Media Exposure

Cognitive dissonance theory explains why we seek info that aligns with our beliefs and avoid contradictory views. This psychological tendency leads to selective exposure and confirmation bias, shaping how we interact with media and form opinions.

Echo chambers and filter bubbles are consequences of selective exposure in the digital age. These phenomena can reinforce existing beliefs, limit exposure to diverse perspectives, and potentially polarize attitudes on various issues.

Cognitive Dissonance and Selective Exposure

Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Confirmation Bias

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• Cognitive dissonance theory proposes that people experience psychological discomfort when they hold conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors
• To reduce this discomfort, individuals may change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to achieve consistency and harmony
• Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out, interpret, and remember information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses while giving less attention to information that contradicts it
• Confirmation bias can lead to selective exposure, where individuals actively seek out information that aligns with their beliefs and avoid information that challenges them (political news)

Selective Exposure and Information Avoidance

• Selective exposure refers to the tendency of individuals to expose themselves to information that is consistent with their existing beliefs and attitudes while avoiding information that contradicts them
• Selective exposure can be motivated by a desire to reduce cognitive dissonance and maintain a consistent worldview
• Information avoidance is the active avoidance of information that may cause discomfort, challenge one's beliefs, or require unwanted action
• Individuals may engage in information avoidance to maintain their current beliefs, avoid cognitive dissonance, or evade the need to change their behaviors (avoiding health screenings)

Consequences of Selective Exposure

Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles

• Echo chambers are environments where individuals are exposed to information and opinions that align with their own beliefs, leading to the reinforcement and amplification of those beliefs
• Echo chambers can form online through social media algorithms, personalized news feeds, and self-selected communities that share similar viewpoints
• Filter bubbles are the result of algorithms and personalization tools that curate content based on an individual's online behavior, potentially isolating them from diverse perspectives and information
• Filter bubbles can limit exposure to challenging viewpoints and create a narrow, biased understanding of issues (personalized search results)

Dissonance Reduction and Attitude Consistency

• Selective exposure can serve as a dissonance reduction strategy, helping individuals maintain a consistent set of beliefs and attitudes
• By seeking out information that confirms their beliefs and avoiding contradictory information, individuals can reduce the psychological discomfort associated with cognitive dissonance
• Attitude consistency refers to the alignment of an individual's beliefs, values, and behaviors across different situations and contexts
• Selective exposure can reinforce attitude consistency by limiting exposure to information that might challenge or contradict existing beliefs, leading to more entrenched and polarized views (political party affiliation)