Center for Media Engagement researchers found interacting with partisan memes can lead to the creation of networks with like-minded people, according to a study published in early June.
Also known as homophilous networks, these groups are full of users who interact with people who share similar ideologies more than they interact with people of opposing ideologies, according to the study.
“It’s really important that we consider those things that we don’t think of as containing political information, but they’re certainly communicating attitudes and beliefs about politics that could have some impact on people,” said Jessica Collier, a former postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Media Engagement.
In terms of partisan information, people tend to react more strongly to partisan memes, such as responding with a “love” or “haha” as opposed to news,…
