The storming of the Capitol in January 2021 clearly illustrated how anger and distrust induced through social media might have dramatic consequences for democracy. EmoAffect studies systematically how the content and visual packaging of social media messages evoke specific emotional reactions among citizens and how these reactions impact the degree to which citizens feel animosity towards other societal groups (so-called affective polarization). EmoAffect specifically focuses on the role of emotional reactions in interplay with social media and citizens' partisanship, personality, values and opinions. EmoAffect studies these areas using experimental methods, both in media experience laboratory-setting with 240 participants and using survey experiments with 3,600 participants.

2022

2026