This study explores the perceptual and behavioral components of third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis in the new environment of political communication during the 2006 local election in South Korea. Based on a Web-based survey of 227 Internet users, we...
This study explores the perceptual and behavioral components of third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis in the new environment of political communication during the 2006 local election in South Korea. Based on a Web-based survey of 227 Internet users, we examined self?other disparities in perceiving user-generated online political messages and if the self-other perceptual disparity leads to a willingness to endorse the government regulation on online political communications. This study found that online users tended to perceive greater influences of political messages on other people than on themselves. However, this study failed to find that third-person perception leads to support for censorship. Instead, this study found that negative effects of online political messages on self, rather than on others, significantly predicted support of the government regulation. Based on these results, the implications of the study and direction for the future study were discussed.