Selective Exposure to News, Homogeneous Political Discussion Networks, and Affective Political Polarization: An Agent-Based Modeling of Minimal versus Strong Communication Effects

Homero Gil de Zúñiga, Ryan Yang Wang, Zicheng Cheng, Democracy Research Unit, Political Science, College of Law , Public Administration, University of Salamanca, Media Effects Research Lab, Film Production , Media Studies Department, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Facultad de Comunicación y Letras, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago de Chile, Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, School of Journalism, College of Social , Behavioral Sciences, The University of Arizona

Social Science Computer Review

Published online on October 17, 2025

Abstract

Social Science Computer Review, Ahead of Print.
This study employs an agent-based model (ABM) simulation grounded in polarization theory to explore how social and media influences shape affective polarization, social diversity, and media diversity within a hostile partisan information environment. We ...