| The third-person effect—the belief that media effects tend to be greater on others than on ourselves—has the potential for intriguing behavioral consequences within various political and social realms. Recognized as a prevalent or even robust phenomenon in the mass communication literature, the third-person effect has not been explained in terms of a single underlying theoretical process. In this paper, the social comparison approach is used to provide a parsimonious explanation for the third-person phenomenon. With this framework, situational variables such as perceived desirability of message, issue-involvement, self-esteem, and social distance are examined in association with the direction and magnitude of the third-person effect. Further, this study applies the third-person effect to the field of public relations, thereby expanding its applicability.;This study's test of the third-person effect with public relations messages is expected to help public relations practitioners design more effectively design messages in a strategic manner across different situations. A lab experiment (n = 229) was conducted to examine the third-person effect in subjects exposed to two public relations messages, one dealing with a lawsuit against the company, the other with corporate philanthropy. Results showed that perceived desirability of the message was found to have a negative relationship with the third-person perception, which was verified in the negative message condition as well as in the positive message condition. Further, issue-involvement was also found to have a negative relationship with the third-person perception, a finding that is discussed in terms of previous research on the “hostile media” phenomenon. The study also examined who subjects consider as referents when making assessments of media effects on self versus other, and how these referents differ according to the nature of the message. These and other results are discussed in terms of implications for public relations practice and strategic message design. |
