Glossary
Selective Exposure
What is selective exposure?
Selective exposure means choosing some information over other available information. In research on attitudes, it often means preferring material that supports what you already believe.
What selective exposure research finds
Hart and colleagues found a moderate average preference for supportive information. The pattern depended on people's motives: they sometimes preferred challenging information when it helped them achieve a current goal.
This concerns what people choose to encounter. Misinterpreting something after reading it is a different process. A preference for agreement also does not mean people always avoid disagreement.
Example of selective exposure
A reader can choose between two articles on a policy and selects the one supporting their current view. That illustrates a choice about which information to encounter. It does not establish why they chose it or how they will interpret it.
Why it matters
For media and communication, first ask which material people choose to encounter. For your own decisions, ask whether your sources include credible evidence that could challenge your conclusion. A diverse source list still needs checks for accuracy and relevance.