Public Opinion Negotiations in a Digital Media Ecosystem: A Conceptual Framework
Abstract Digital media constitute a key space for the negotiation of public opinion. Despite long-standing research on public opinion climates on digital media, little theory exists that considers their emergence and discursive dynamics. In this article, we conceptualize public opinion negotiations in a digital media ecosystem as a discursive process aimed at delimiting the latitude of normatively acceptable opinions. Building upon theoretical work on predigital media, we distill five enduring aspects to characterize digitally mediated public opinion negotiations as (a) the public expression of (b) normative opinions upon public issues by (c) positioned speakers, resulting in (d) the public negotiation of acceptable stances (e) within digitally mediated public arenas governed by institutional and sociotechnical media logics. Discussing how digital media shape this discursive process, we propose a theory of public opinion negotiations in a digital media ecosystem, flagging operational implications for the empirical study of public opinion processes on digital media.
Authors
- Neta Kligler-Vilenchik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3470-3305)
- Auksė Balčytienė (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3358-7912)
- Christian Baden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3771-3413)
- Susana Salgado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7967-3763)
- Artur Lipiński (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1151-5486)
- Anna Bączkowska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0147-2718)
- Aleksandra Krstić (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0090-9911)
- Asta Zelenkauskaitė (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5762-4605)
- Nina Springer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0186-0582)
- Marc Jungblut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2677-0738)
Institutions
- University of Lisbon (PT)
- Vytautas Magnus University (LT)
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- University of Münster (DE)
- LMU Klinikum (DE)
- University of Gdańsk (PL)
- University of Belgrade (RS)
- Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (PT)
- Institute of Social Sciences (RU)
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL)
- FH Münster University of Applied Sciences (DE)
- Drexel University (US)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Public Opinion Research
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edaf049
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Social Media and Politics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.86
Funders
- European Cooperation in Science and Technology