The depolarizing role of network heterogeneity and diverse political discussion in social media: an analysis of Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp platforms in Ecuador's 2021 elections

Abstract

Situating the analysis in the case of Ecuador's presidential and parliamentary elections in 2021, this research explores the relationship between ideological polarization and two aspects of social media use: network heterogeneity and diverse political discussion, considering comparatively Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp platforms. The empirical study was carried out based on a sample of 811 young people living in Quito-Ecuador and a digital data collection process. The analytical strategy consisted of formulating multiple regression models for each platform. Considering the sample analysed, the results indicate that users who perceive predominantly heterogeneous networks, in political terms, register less ideological polarization in the cases of Facebook and WhatsApp. Diverse political discussion produces a depolarizing effect when developed on any of the digital platforms analyzed. Network heterogeneity reduces polarization more strongly than diverse political discussion when using Facebook social network or WhatsApp, while on Twitter the depolarizing effect of diverse conversation increases. This study contributes to the knowledge on depolarizing mechanisms derived from the political use of social media in Latin America.