Causes and consequences of public opinion perceptions in times of social media

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Humans are social beings and as such, their thoughts and behaviors are influenced by their perceptions of what other people think and do. An important part of this picture of social reality are perceptions of public opinion that are defined as subjective assessments of opinion distributions in society (e.g., majorities or minorities regarding specific issues). The ways by which people form a picture of public opinion have considerably developed during the last decades, particularly with the rise of the internet and the web 2.0. The extension of potentially visible opinions (in the media and the personal social surrounding) along with an increased importance of personal and algorithmic selection of media content has raised new questions, but has also stimulated criticism. Buzzwords like echo chamber and filter bubble describe the dangers emanating from homogenous opinion environments, where the individual is barely confronted with disagreement. Despite their social relevance, not much is known about the phenomenology of individual opinion environments, the diversity of opinions within them, and the effects emanating from them. Only a simultaneous examination of all possible sources of public opinion perceptions can draw a complete picture of how individual opinion environments look like, which part of them is actually homogenous, and which effects they have on public opinion perception, attitudes, and behavior. Answering that question is the central goal of the project.