The silent majority online : lurking, online political
engagement on social media, and the role of value-incongruent
political exposure

J 2026

The silent majority online : lurking, online political engagement on social media, and the role of value-incongruent political exposure

URBÁNIKOVÁ, Marína; Manuel GOYANES a Beatriz JORDÁ

Základní údaje

Originální název

The silent majority online : lurking, online political engagement on social media, and the role of value-incongruent political exposure

Autoři

URBÁNIKOVÁ, Marína ; Manuel GOYANES a Beatriz JORDÁ

Vydání

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY, Abingdon, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2026, 1369-118X

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Článek v odborném periodiku

Obor

50802 Media and socio-cultural communication

Stát vydavatele

Velká Británie a Severní Irsko

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Odkazy

article - open access

Impakt faktor

Impact factor: 3.300 v roce 2024

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Organizační jednotka

Fakulta sociálních studií

Klíčová slova anglicky

Lurking; online political engagement; social media; user filtration; value-incongruent political exposure

Štítky

online first

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam, Recenzováno

Změněno: 3. 6. 2026 17:13, Mgr. Blanka Farkašová

Anotace

V originále

While social media are often heralded as important deliberative spaces, it is well-documented that the majority of citizens are lurkers who consume content with little or no active posting. However, research on online political participation has predominantly focused on active users, leaving the political engagement of the silent majority understudied. This comparative study addresses this gap by drawing on two cross-sectional surveys conducted in Germany (N = 2,213) and Spain (N = 2,337). We investigate how lurking behavior relates to two dimensions of political engagement on social media: expressive (political expression, political discussion, cross-cutting discussion) and defensive (user filtration). We also explore the role of exposure to value-incongruent political content, i.e., political posts that challenge users’ principles and value system, and how these factors interact. The results show that lurking is negatively associated with expressive forms of political engagement, but not with defensive engagement, for which the relationship is non-significant. Exposure to value-incongruent political content is positively associated with all forms of expressive and defensive political engagement on social media in both countries. In Germany, such exposure also intensifies the negative relationship between lurking and political discussion. Conversely, in Spain, exposure to value-incongruent political content positively moderates the relationship between lurking and user filtration. Overall, the results indicate that exposure to value-incongruent political content can prompt lurkers to adopt strategies aimed at maintaining social harmony, either through self-silencing in political discussions or through active boundary-setting via user filtration, and that these strategies are shaped by cultural and political contexts.

Přiložené soubory

The_silent_majority_online_lurking_Early_Access.pdf

rics_a_2653099_sm0980.docx

Požádat o autorskou verzi souboru

Citovat

URBÁNIKOVÁ, Marína; Manuel GOYANES a Beatriz JORDÁ. The silent majority online : lurking, online political engagement on social media, and the role of value-incongruent political exposure. INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY. Abingdon: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2026, 20 s. ISSN 1369-118X. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2653099.

@article{2565521,
   author = {Urbániková, Marína and Goyanes, Manuel and Jordá, Beatriz},
   article_location = {Abingdon},
   doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2653099},
   keywords = {Lurking; online political engagement; social media; user filtration; value-incongruent political exposure},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {1369-118X},
   journal = {INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY},
   title = {The silent majority online : lurking, online political engagement on social media, and the role of value-incongruent political exposure},
   url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2653099},
   year = {2026}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2565521
AU  - Urbániková, Marína - Goyanes, Manuel - Jordá, Beatriz
PY  - 2026
TI  - The silent majority online : lurking, online political engagement on social media, and the role of value-incongruent political exposure
JF  - INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY
PB  - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
SN  - 1369118X
KW  - Lurking
KW  - online political engagement
KW  - social media
KW  - user filtration
KW  - value-incongruent political exposure
UR  - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2653099
N2  - While social media are often heralded as important deliberative spaces, it is well-documented that the majority of citizens are lurkers who consume content with little or no active posting. However, research on online political participation has predominantly focused on active users, leaving the political engagement of the silent majority understudied. This comparative study addresses this gap by drawing on two cross-sectional surveys conducted in Germany (N = 2,213) and Spain (N = 2,337). We investigate how lurking behavior relates to two dimensions of political engagement on social media: expressive (political expression, political discussion, cross-cutting discussion) and defensive (user filtration). We also explore the role of exposure to value-incongruent political content, i.e., political posts that challenge users’ principles and value system, and how these factors interact. The results show that lurking is negatively associated with expressive forms of political engagement, but not with defensive engagement, for which the relationship is non-significant. Exposure to value-incongruent political content is positively associated with all forms of expressive and defensive political engagement on social media in both countries. In Germany, such exposure also intensifies the negative relationship between lurking and political discussion. Conversely, in Spain, exposure to value-incongruent political content positively moderates the relationship between lurking and user filtration. Overall, the results indicate that exposure to value-incongruent political content can prompt lurkers to adopt strategies aimed at maintaining social harmony, either through self-silencing in political discussions or through active boundary-setting via user filtration, and that these strategies are shaped by cultural and political contexts.
ER  -

URBÁNIKOVÁ, Marína; Manuel GOYANES a Beatriz JORDÁ. The silent majority online : lurking, online political engagement on social media, and the role of value-incongruent political exposure. \textit{INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION \&{} SOCIETY}. Abingdon: Routledge, Taylor \&{} Francis Group, 2026, 20 s. ISSN~1369-118X. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2653099.

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