Exploring the Role of Elite Framing on Public Attitudes Toward Big Tech Companies

In the following experiment, I analyzed the role of elite framing on public attitudes toward big tech companies. Such a topic is especially important today, for both sides of the political spectrum typically frame the need for either more or less governmental regulation through misinformation or free speech frames. In the following experiment, I created a 10 question survey and analyzed the responses from over 200 political science students at Pepperdine University. Within the survey, I applied either a control variable, a misinformation frame, or a free speech frame and analyzed the results in order to find any potential framing effects on respondents. According to my hypothesis, I argued that a misinformation frame would cause respondents to side with greater governmental regulation of big tech companies and side in favor of Donald Trump’s banishment from social media. Vice versa, I also argued that a free speech frame would cause respondents to side with less governmental regulation of big tech companies and oppose Donald Trump’s banishment from social media. After analyzing the results, none of the data was statistically significant besides the free speech group opposing Donald Trump’s banishment from social media