Effects of Content Consumption and Group Norm Conformity on Xenophobia Toward Chinese: Evidence from Politically Oriented Korean Online Communities

초록

This study examines how online content exposure relates to xenophobic attitudes toward Chinese individuals within politically oriented Korean online communities. Drawing on the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects and media exposure research, the study investigates both direct and indirect pathways linking content consumption, group norm conformity, and xenophobia. Survey data were collected from users of seven major Korean online communities identified as either conservative or progressive. Structural equation modeling results indicate that online content exposure is positively associated with xenophobia both directly and indirectly through conformity to defensive norms and heterogeneity norms. Multigroup analyses reveal that the normative mechanisms underlying xenophobia differ by political orientation. Conformity to heterogeneity norms appears to play a more prominent role among users in conservative communities, whereas conformity to defensive norms appears to be more influential among users in progressive communities. These findings suggest that passive exposure to community discourse may not be neutral but may enhance norm-based pathways to xenophobic attitudes. By integrating content consumption and norm conformity processes within a politically polarized context, this study contributes to understanding how online spaces structure intergroup attitudes in contemporary Korean society. Copyright © 2026 by the Korean Society for Journalism and Communication Studies

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