Exploring the Influence of Online Social Cues on Korean Teens’ Outgroup Perception

초록

The bandwagon effect, or the tendency to adopt widely accepted views, is amplified on social media through popularity cues such as likes, views, and comments. Teens, who are often unfamiliar with social issues and desire social acceptance, may be especially vulnerable to these cues. This study examines how South Korean teenagers (ages 14-18) respond to popularity cues in digital news content that negatively portrays outgroups. In a survey experiment, teens watched the same anti-Chinese video with varying popularity cues and answered questions about the credibility of the content, their willingness to engage with it (e.g., liking the video), and their attitudes toward China. While popularity cues did not significantly influence perceived credibility or willingness to engage, they did influence attitudes. Unexpectedly, participants exposed to high popularity cues reported more favorable views of China. We offer several speculations about these unexpected findings, including the snob effect, wherein teens distance themselves from the perceived majority opinion. These results highlight the complex role of popularity cues in shaping adolescents’ attitudes toward outgroups.

키워드