Selective exposure: the tendency to seek information and media
that agree with one’s views and to avoid dissonant information.
When it comes to political views,
everyone has their own opinion about what and who to believe. Many people look at the news on the
television, read the newspaper, or read articles from particular websites
regarding their views on certain topics such as politics and religion. These people have strong views on these
topics and feel they can only go to the media of their choice thus calling this
selective exposure. They only want to go
to what they consider reliable sources of media. For example, republicans like to use Fox News
as their reliable source for information on politics, while the democrats like
to watch ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and CNN as their reliable source of information
on politics.
Either way neither group is willing
to try other media outlets that may give opposing opinions on the topics of
their choosing such as politics. People
feel more comfortable with the media of their choosing because they believe
what they are hearing from their “media” is thought to be truth. This is how people minimize dissonance. They find information that they agree with whether
it is truth or not truth but it is their truth.
Myers,
D. Social Psychology. 2012. Behavior and
Attitudes, Chapter 4. McGraw Hill. New York.
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