1. THE PERCEPTION OF ONLINE MEDIA’S RELEVANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF ELECTIONS Marco Dohle & Gerhard Vowe 1 GOR 11, Düsseldorf 2011 1 Marco Dohle & Gerhard Vowe Department of Communication and Media Studies Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf, Germany  marco.dohle@phil.uni-duesseldorf.de Research questions Which political influences are implied to which online media in comparison to traditional media? How do participants estimate the political influence of online media on themselves and on others? Theoretical approach: Third-person perceptions, political communication, and online media The third-person effect is one of the most popular theories in recent communication research (Bryant & Miron, 2004). According to its perceptual component, people tend to believe that other people are more influenced by media than themselves (third-person perception) (Davison, 1983). One important field of research on third-person effects is political communication. Lots of studies – for example in the context of elections (e.g., Rössler 2009) – have documented third-person perceptions. These studies focused on presumed influences of traditional media. However, online media have notable characteristics regarding presumed political influences. To name but a few: (1) Users get direct information about the thoughts and attitudes of other users; (2) the online audience seems to be very active; (3) (people know that) some online media still have a small audience compared to traditional media; (4) (people know that) online media have a comparatively young audience. This leads to various assumptions regarding perceptions of online media’s influences which were tested. Selected results will be presented. Methods and data The study was realized in the context of the state parlia- mentary election in North Rhine-Westphalia 2010. An online survey brought about a total of 875 valid cases (212 politicians, 74 journalists, 589 other people). Participants had to assess the political influence of tradi- tional media and online media on themselves, on the anonymous general public (third persons) and on other groups. Results: Online media vs. traditional media Respondents believed themselves to be less susceptible by traditional media than second persons and second persons as less susceptible than third persons (p <.001;  third-person perception). Respondents believed themselves to be more influenceable by online media than second persons (p <.001) and as equally influenceable compared with third persons (  no third-person perception). People assume that online media have (a) a larger influence on them- selves but (b) a smaller influence on second persons, third persons, journalists, and politicians than traditional media (p <.001). Young people are seen as more politically influenced by online media than other persons (p <.001) and as more influenced by online media compared to traditional media (p <.001). Discussion The results show that it is necessary to differentiate between presumed influences of traditional and online media (and additionally between different online media). Future research will have to analyze in-depth the relevance of online media’s characteristics regarding presumed political influences. Moreover, future research will have to explore the consequences of these presumed online influences on attitudes and behavior. Results: Different online media Respondents assume different political influences of different online media on third persons. These different perceptions of influence match the perceived reach of most online media quite well.