Bracketing or reinforcing? Socio-economic status, network power, and online deliberation

Abstract

The extent to which the deliberative scenario brackets socio-economic inequalities (i.e., functioning as an ideal public sphere) has been long-debating. This study empirically addresses this question in the online setting. We test whether offline advantages (i.e., economic and cultural capitals) can be translated into power in online deliberation and how their dynamic relations further influence interlocutors’ deliberation experience (i.e., perceived procedural fairness and validity claim). Power is conceptualized as network power, including prestige (indegree), leadership (outdegree), and brokering power (betweenness). A national sample of Singaporeans participated in a three-week online deliberation, and network power is measured based on the web log. The participants answered a two-wave (i.e., pre- and post-deliberation) survey to indicate individual attributes. Structural equation modeling finds that online deliberation brackets as well as reinforces offline status. Economic capital is suppressed while cultural capital translates into network power, which further influences interlocutors’ evaluation of the deliberation.