IDENTITY, MEDIA USE, POLARIZATION, AND DEMOCRATIC ATTITUDES
The core focus of my research examines the importance in the ties between identity and polarization within the United States and the resulting loss of commitment to democratic norms and attitudes. I examine the dominance of partisanship, even in light of competing identities, on political attitudes. Utilizing survey experiments, I explore how when demographic identities are in conflict with partisanship, partisanship can overwhelm our own group consciousness.
Media Use and Anti-Democratic Sentiment in the US (With Bruce Bimber, Julien Labarre, Ilia Nikiforov, and Karolina Koc-Michalska) (Paper In Progress)
Group Norms and Policy Acceptability (With Matt Jenkins) (Paper in Progress)
POLITICAL INFORMATION, NEWS FLOW, SOCIAL PRESSURE, AND DISCOURSE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
I also examine how individuals engage with news and political discourse via social media. I utilize big data and machine learning techniques to examine typologies of individuals online and examine how personal characteristics influence their engagement with political information and how they experience information.
"Like the Cool Kids: The Relationship Between Social Support and Political Expression on Social Media" (Paper in Progress).
SOCIAL MEDIA USE BY POLITICAL ELITES
In addition to examining how the general public utilizes social media for political information and engagement, a second line of inquiry examines the strategic choices and benefits that political actors utilize via their use of social media platforms. This research combines scholarship on institutions, behavior of politicians, and communication to better understand the strategic choices that elite political actors make.
Fontaine, S. & Gomez, D. (Forthcoming) "Going Social: Explaining Presidential Use of Social Media. Presidential Studies Quarterly.
The Party of Trump: Exploring Politician Incentives in the Modern Republican Party. (With Sam Fontaine).
JOURNALISTIC NORMS AND BELIEF IN FALSEHOODS
I examine the influence on journalistic norms of reporting on belief in falsehoods. Using data from an experiment run during the 2020 election cycle, my collaborator and I illustrate that the effects of falsely balanced reports, and those with explicit corrections of falsehoods do differ in the degree to which they correct false beliefs. More notably, we find partisan heterogeneity, and illustrate some contextual limits on journalists ability to correct false attitudes.
Jenkins, M. D., & Gomez, D. (2022). Trump Lies, Truth Dies? Epistemic Crisis and the Effect of False Balance Reporting on Beliefs About Voter Fraud. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 19401612221111997.
Jenkins, M. D., & Gomez, D. (2022). The effects of journalistic intervention and falsely balanced reporting on support for voter ID law. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 1-10.
Gomez. D., & Jenkins, M.D. Heterogeneous Treatment Effects in One Sided Messaging: A Case of the 2020 Presidential Election. (Working Paper)
SPACE, EXPERTISE, AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES
I study the relationship between various types of expertise and political attitudes toward public policy. For example, I examine levels of geographic knowledge and its influence on framing effects regarding foreign policy. I plan to expand this area of research to further examine perceptions of distance and support for various forms of environmental policies.
Meyer-Gutbrod, J. & Gomez D., "Negative Partisanship or Regional Bias: Measuring the Impact of Geographic Bias on Partisan Polarization Among Citizens." (Working Paper)
FAKE NEWS AND DISINFORMATION
I’ve also recently begun to explore the health of the democratic public sphere online in relation to disinformation and fake news. This work questions what types of citizens are most likely to verify what they suspect to be fictitious claims. I was also fortunate enough to be a part of an interdisciplinary research group that published “A Citizen’s Guide to Fake News.” This work was an attempt to synthesize both academic and journalistic knowledge surrounding the phenomenon of disinformation, and to provide citizens with resources to better equip themselves to deal with misinformation online.
Koc-Michalska, K., Bimber, B., Gomez, D., Jenkins, M., & Boulianne, S. (2020). Public Beliefs about Falsehoods in News. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 1940161220912693. (Link)
The core focus of my research examines the importance in the ties between identity and polarization within the United States and the resulting loss of commitment to democratic norms and attitudes. I examine the dominance of partisanship, even in light of competing identities, on political attitudes. Utilizing survey experiments, I explore how when demographic identities are in conflict with partisanship, partisanship can overwhelm our own group consciousness.
Media Use and Anti-Democratic Sentiment in the US (With Bruce Bimber, Julien Labarre, Ilia Nikiforov, and Karolina Koc-Michalska) (Paper In Progress)
Group Norms and Policy Acceptability (With Matt Jenkins) (Paper in Progress)
POLITICAL INFORMATION, NEWS FLOW, SOCIAL PRESSURE, AND DISCOURSE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
I also examine how individuals engage with news and political discourse via social media. I utilize big data and machine learning techniques to examine typologies of individuals online and examine how personal characteristics influence their engagement with political information and how they experience information.
"Like the Cool Kids: The Relationship Between Social Support and Political Expression on Social Media" (Paper in Progress).
SOCIAL MEDIA USE BY POLITICAL ELITES
In addition to examining how the general public utilizes social media for political information and engagement, a second line of inquiry examines the strategic choices and benefits that political actors utilize via their use of social media platforms. This research combines scholarship on institutions, behavior of politicians, and communication to better understand the strategic choices that elite political actors make.
Fontaine, S. & Gomez, D. (Forthcoming) "Going Social: Explaining Presidential Use of Social Media. Presidential Studies Quarterly.
The Party of Trump: Exploring Politician Incentives in the Modern Republican Party. (With Sam Fontaine).
JOURNALISTIC NORMS AND BELIEF IN FALSEHOODS
I examine the influence on journalistic norms of reporting on belief in falsehoods. Using data from an experiment run during the 2020 election cycle, my collaborator and I illustrate that the effects of falsely balanced reports, and those with explicit corrections of falsehoods do differ in the degree to which they correct false beliefs. More notably, we find partisan heterogeneity, and illustrate some contextual limits on journalists ability to correct false attitudes.
Jenkins, M. D., & Gomez, D. (2022). Trump Lies, Truth Dies? Epistemic Crisis and the Effect of False Balance Reporting on Beliefs About Voter Fraud. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 19401612221111997.
Jenkins, M. D., & Gomez, D. (2022). The effects of journalistic intervention and falsely balanced reporting on support for voter ID law. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 1-10.
Gomez. D., & Jenkins, M.D. Heterogeneous Treatment Effects in One Sided Messaging: A Case of the 2020 Presidential Election. (Working Paper)
SPACE, EXPERTISE, AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES
I study the relationship between various types of expertise and political attitudes toward public policy. For example, I examine levels of geographic knowledge and its influence on framing effects regarding foreign policy. I plan to expand this area of research to further examine perceptions of distance and support for various forms of environmental policies.
Meyer-Gutbrod, J. & Gomez D., "Negative Partisanship or Regional Bias: Measuring the Impact of Geographic Bias on Partisan Polarization Among Citizens." (Working Paper)
FAKE NEWS AND DISINFORMATION
I’ve also recently begun to explore the health of the democratic public sphere online in relation to disinformation and fake news. This work questions what types of citizens are most likely to verify what they suspect to be fictitious claims. I was also fortunate enough to be a part of an interdisciplinary research group that published “A Citizen’s Guide to Fake News.” This work was an attempt to synthesize both academic and journalistic knowledge surrounding the phenomenon of disinformation, and to provide citizens with resources to better equip themselves to deal with misinformation online.
Koc-Michalska, K., Bimber, B., Gomez, D., Jenkins, M., & Boulianne, S. (2020). Public Beliefs about Falsehoods in News. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 1940161220912693. (Link)
“A Citizen's Guide to Fake News.” A Public Report of the Center for Information Technology and Society. August 29, 2018 http://www.cits.ucsb.edu/fake-news
YOUTH POLITICAL ACTIVISM AND ENGAGEMENT
Questions surrounding the current cultural zeitgeist, media use patterns, and political participation of youth in the United States make up an additional area of research. This line of work questions how factors of the contemporary media environment and relationships to institutions are reshaping political attitudes and behaviors among youth.
“The Kids Are Alright: Climate Change as a Catalyst for Youth Political Engagement.” (Working Paper with Michele Zamora)