Page 230 - Media Effects Advances in Theory and Research

9. POLITICAL COMMUNICATION EFFECTS 219

Trends in Political Communication Research

Several promising trends in political communication research can be
noted. First, there has been some progress in connecting audience effects
with other parts of the communication process: news sources, media orga-
nizations, and content. Second, investigation at the macrosocial level of
analysis has been revitalized to complement the already extensive
research at the individual level. Coinciding with the resurgence of
macrolevel concern, research making comparisons between communities,
nations, and historical periods has also emerged (Bennett, 2000; Blumler,
1983; Blumler, McLeod, & Rosengren, 1992; Tichenor, Donohue, & Olien,
1980). A fourth trend is a renewed interest in language, not only the lan-
guage of media content, but also language as it relates to the production
and interpretation of mediated information. Fifth, there has been an
increase in the number of studies that combine methodologies and/or use
multiple sources of data to provide more complete answers to research
questions. Sixth, there has been a rebirth of interest in issues of civic
socialization and community. The final trend is the development of more-
complex models of political communication processes. Each of the trends
has been stimulated by the increasing complexity of the political environ-
ment and has facilitated the growth of knowledge in the field.

THE CHANGING CONTEXT OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

Political communication is shaped by several layers of systemic context.
For instance, the sociopolitical environment in a given society structures
the form and content of political communication processes. More specifi-
cally, the media environment, both in terms of the context in which infor-
mation is produced and in which it is disseminated to the public, is also
an important determinant of the nature of political communication.
U.S. society in the post–World War II era has been rapidly evolving in
ways driven by increased education, suburbanization, and immigration,
as well as by increasing disparity between rich and poor. Ethnic and racial
heterogeneity has been rapidly expanding. Results of these changing cir-
cumstances include increased tension in the political dialogue and a com-
plication of political discourse. As society diversifies, the political system
becomes less predictable. Party identification, along with voter turnout, is
down, and split-ticket voting in a given election and party instability
across elections are more common, leading to divided government at
almost every level. Several prominent third party and independent candi-
dates have exerted a visible effect on election outcomes (in some cases,