Comparative Analysis of Social Media News Framing Across Regions

Thesis Abstract

In an era of rapid digital news consumption, social media platforms have emerged as pivotal arenas where news framing influences public perception, political attitudes, and agenda setting, yet cross-regional differences in these frames remain underexplored. This study addresses the problem of uneven framing practices across regions on major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) and how such frames shape audience interpretation, trust in media, and policy-related attitudes. The aims are to (1) compare the prevalence and character of news frames across four regions (North America, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Asia), (2) examine the role of platform affordances in shaping framing strategies, and (3) assess the relationship between exposure to region-specific frames and public opinion variables including trust in media, perceived issue salience, and stance on policy issues. The study advances knowledge on cross-regional media convergence and divergence in digital news ecosystems, contributing to theories of media framing, uses and gratifications, and agenda-setting in social media environments. A mixed-methods approach is employed. The qualitative strand uses a content analysis of 1,200 social media news items (300 per region) across three platforms over six months, coding for frame types (episodic vs. thematic), moral and value appeals, responsibility ascriptions, and source diversity, with intercoder reliability (Cohen’s kappa) above 0.80. The quantitative strand collects survey data from 2,400 respondents (600 per region) to measure perceived frame exposure, trust in media, issue salience, and policy attitudes, using validated scales adapted from existing instruments. Structural equation modeling (SEM) tests the indirect effects of frame exposure on policy attitudes mediated by trust and perceived issue salience, while multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) examines regional differences in frame prevalence and audience responses. Additionally, a thematic analysis of 60 in-depth interviews (15 per region) with social media users explores interpretive repertoires and perceived bias in regional framing, enabling triangulation across data sources. The theoretical framework integrates Entman’s framing theory with Uses and Gratifications and the Agenda-Setting model to explain how platform-specific affordances and audience motivations shape framing reception and interpretation. Expected findings indicate statistically significant regional variations in framing, with thematic frames more prevalent in Europe and North America, episodic frames dominating Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, and varying moral appeals linked to cultural norms. Platform differences are anticipated to moderate framing patterns, wherein video-centric platforms (YouTube) exhibit stronger dramatization and identity-based framing compared to text-centric platforms (Twitter, Facebook). The SEM results are expected to reveal that exposure to region-specific frames elevates perceived issue salience and trust in media in some regions while diminishing trust in others, with mediation effects differing by cultural context and media literacy levels. The qualitative evidence will illuminate how audiences interpret frames, negotiate perceived bias, and reconcile multiple regional frames when confronted with conflicting news narratives. The study’s contribution to knowledge includes (i) a comparative, multi-platform map of news framing across diverse regional contexts, (ii) empirical evidence on how framing strategies translate into public opinion dynamics via trust and salience pathways, (iii) an integrated theoretical model that extends framing theory to cross-regional, digitally mediated environments, and (iv) methodological insights into triangulating content analysis, survey data, and in-depth interviews in cross-cultural media research. The main conclusion is that regional differences in social media news framing are shaped by cultural norms, platform affordances, and local media ecosystems, which collectively influence how audiences interpret news and form policy attitudes. Recommendations include enhancing media literacy programs to mitigate frame-driven misperceptions, platform design considerations to foster transparent framing cues, and region-specific communication strategies for policymakers and journalists to ensure balanced framing and informed public discourse.