Theoretical and methodological patterns of third-person effect research: A comparative thematic analysis of Asia and the world

Abstract

Third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis is a theory of increasing global appeal to media effects scholars. To assess the research trends and methodological patterns of TPE studies on Asia and the world’s other regions, this study content-analyzed 147 articles published in 10 leading communication journals between 1983 and 2015. Results reveal Asia as a popular site for the robust TPE research (41 articles focused on Asia). The most popular topics in Asia were pornography and news about social events. The results further indicate that survey was the most used method in TPE research conducted in Asia. In addition, U.S.-based authors dominated the overall TPE research. But authors from Asian institutions have a greater presence in Asia-focused studies testing the hypothesis. TPE research exemplifies Asian perspectives adding to a globally popular theory. Insights drawn from these findings and new directions for future research are offered.