Incidental and intentional exposure in a mock election setting on social media: effects on subjective and objective political knowledge and aligned voting

Abstract As political campaigns increasingly use social media to reach voters, scholars debate whether users actually acquire election-related knowledge or merely perceive themselves as more knowledgeable. It remains unclear whether social media enhances voting that aligns with users’ political attitudes (“correct voting”). Previous studies suggest social media effects vary substantially based on whether exposure is intentional or incidental. In a between-subject online experiment (N = 1,460), participants scrolled through a social media feed exposing them to policy statements either intentionally, incidentally, or not at all before voting in a mock election. We found that both intentional and incidental exposure increased objective knowledge, whereas only intentional exposure enhanced subjective knowledge. Yet, participants did not translate the acquired knowledge into aligned voting. However, those who intentionally sought election information felt more confident in their voting decision. Our findings suggest social media may mobilize voters more effectively than it enables them to make “good” decisions.