“You See You” (UCU): Self-Representation Affordance Moderates Bandwagon-Cues’ Impacts on Selective Exposure

Bandwagon cues and interactivity affordances have transformed the way people choose and consume online messages. Two experiments, a computerized lab experiment and an online field experiment, were conducted to investigate the impact of bandwagon cues (high versus low numbers) on selective exposure to online news articles, contingent on the use of a self-representation affordance. Predictions were derived from the TIME framework as well as the User Connectedness and Uniqueness (UCU) Model. In line with the UCU model, the findings demonstrate that generating a private self-representation (i.e. creating an online profile that is viewable only to oneself) resulted in more exposure to news messages with high bandwagon cues compared to low bandwagon cues. On the other hand, creating a public self-representation (i.e. creating an online profile that is publicly viewable) led to more exposure to messages with low bandwagon cues compared to high bandwagon cues.