Narrowing the Knowledge Gap: The Role of Alternative Online Media in an Authoritarian Press System

Using a national survey of citizens during Singapore's general election, this study finds that alternative online media filled information gaps and narrowed the knowledge gap between social status groups. Contrary to the original knowledge gap hypothesis, lower educated voters gained knowledge more rapidly from increased alternative media use than more highly educated voters. This indicates that the press system itself influences the knowledge gap. In authoritarian press systems, where mainstream news is regulated and framed to promote ruling party's elite perspectives, alternative online information produced from the ground up embodies greater relevance and authenticity, facilitating greater knowledge gain among lower educated voters.