Toxicity of political participation and news cynicism: How social media news use predicts disinformation beliefs and support for political violence

This study investigates how political engagement and news cynicism predict social media news users’ belief in disinformation and support for political violence, with a focus on the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Drawing on a U.S. national survey (N = 1,003), our findings reveal that the relationship between social media news use and disinformation beliefs is mediated by political participation and news cynicism, which, in turn, increases support for violence. To better understand the role of social media use, we compared mainstream and alternative social media platforms, finding that both are linked to greater disinformation beliefs, with alternative media emerging as the stronger predictor. These findings underscore the participatory nature of disinformation ecosystems, which amplify false information, mobilize individuals, and thrive in contexts marked by cynicism in mainstream media and heightened political enthusiasm. While citizen engagement is crucial for sustaining democracy, these results suggest it can also inadvertently facilitate harmful outcomes.