
R. Kelly Garrett
Connect with R. Kelly
About R. Kelly
Garrett's research concerns online political communication; online news; and the ways in which citizens and activists use new technologies to shape their engagement with contentious political topics. He has secured over $1 million in research funding from organizations including the National Science Foundation and Facebook. His work has been published in a number of outlets; including Science Advances; JAMA Network Open; the Journal of Communication; Political Behavior; the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication; and Daedalus.
Contributions
In the News
Publications
Shows that Democrats and Republicans exhibit different news preferences: Democrats are uniquely attracted to news stories that include pro-attitudinal content, while Republicans have a distinct aversion to one-sided counterattitudinal news. Examines that neither group exhibits a systematic one-sided pro-attitudinal news.
Illustrates that, using partisan news sites that affirm one's political affiliations promotes more polarized attitudes toward other citizens. Demonstrates that those sharing the individual's political orientation are seen more favorably, while those holding a different view are seen more negatively.
Disproves the conventional wisdom that Americans' online news consumption grows steadily more insular. Reveals that individuals who use pro-attitudinal news sites, the more likely they are to use counterattitudinal sites than those who don't.
Shows that embedding factual corrections within an inaccurate news story is less effective than presenting them after a short delay among individuals predisposed to believe the falsehood.
Discusses how using partisan online news makes individuals more likely to believe political falsehoods, even when they know about evidence contradicting those untruths.
Discusses that, when choosing among online news stories, people are more attracted to information that affirms their viewpoint than they are repelled by information that challenges that viewpoint.