From echo chambers to ‘idea chambers’: Concurrent online interactions with similar and dissimilar others

Author:

Martin Justin D1ORCID,Hassan Fouad2,Anghelcev George1,Abunabaa Noor1,Shaath Sarah3

Affiliation:

1. Northwestern University in Qatar, Doha, Qatar

2. Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar

3. University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

Abstract

Countering conventional theory, this study found that online homophily and heterophily—connectivity with both similar and dissimilar others—are not necessarily countervailing phenomena, among representative surveys of internet users from five Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Lebanon, Qatar, and UAE ( N = 4,198). Respondents who said the Internet has increased their contact with politically and religiously similar people also tended to say it increased their contact with politically and religiously dissimilar people. A four-item scale measuring online political and religious homophily and heterophily was reliable (a = .754 overall; .79 among Arab nationals), and is referred to in this article as an ‘idea chamber’ index. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and inter-item correlations of scale items are two additional tests that affirm the internal consistency of the measure. Implications for research on digital communication are discussed.

Funder

Qatar Foundation

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Sociology and Political Science,Communication

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