The book “Outside the Bubble: Social Media and Political Participation in Western Democracies” authored by Cristian Vaccari and Augusto Valeriani analyzes the relationship between political experiences in social media and institutional political participation. Rosa Borge has reviewed the publication, emphasizing the theoretical and empirical contribution of the study in exploring the role of social media in the dissemination of political content, broadening citizens’ exposure to opinions and various information and encouraging political participation.
The publication challenges common assumptions regarding the role of social media in producing echo chambers and enveloping citizens in filter bubbles. Borge highlights: “In my opinion, one of its main virtues lies in focusing on specific and relevant political outcomes or experiences of citizens’ use of social media, that is, levels of political agreement encountered on social media, accidental exposure to political news, and being targeted by electoral mobilization, rather than on general assumptions of their effects that disregard specific impacts on political participation and the diversity among different social groups.”
You can access the complete review via the provided link or refer to the article: Borge, Rosa, Boulianne, Shelley, Dennis, James, Vaccari, Cristian, and Valeriani, Augusto. “Political participation in the digital technology era: a symposium on Outside the Bubble: Social Media and Political Participation in Western Democracies By Cristian Vaccari and Augusto Valeriani.” Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana Di Scienza Politica 53.2 (2023): 273-291.