The objective of WP6 is to investigate the impact of location-based social media (LBSM) on the patterns of interpersonal communication within local communities. As a hybrid medium that bridges digital platforms with offline neighborhood life, LBSM plays a critical role in shaping social interactions. WP6 explores whether LBSM functions as a mechanism that exacerbates social polarization across online and offline spaces, or conversely, whether it serves as a facilitative tool for managing and overcoming these divides.

WP6 is grounded in three prior studies conducted within the framework of Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT) (Ball-Rokeach et al., 2001; Kim & Ball-Rokeach, 2006a; Kim et al., 2018). The first of these examined the impact of social media on local communication and community engagement (Kim et al., 2019). The second and third studies (Kim et al., 2022; 2023) conceptualized two distinct modes of neighborhood storytelling—or community storytelling, in CIT terminology—that address social difference within urban contexts:

• Difference-Managing Community Storytelling (DMCS): A mode of communication that acknowledges diversity and fosters coexistence and inclusion, thereby serving as a mechanism to overcome polarization.
• Difference-Reducing Community Storytelling (DRCS): A communication style that exacerbates polarization and delays conflict resolution by suppressing or diminishing the significance of differences.

By synthesizing these theoretical foundations, WP6 investigates whether location-based social media (LBSM) facilitates DMCS or DRCS and analyzes how these storytelling patterns subsequently influence levels of community engagement. Specifically, we address the following research questions in WP6:

• RQ1: How does LBSM usage influence the prevalence of Difference-Managing Community Storytelling (DMCS) and Difference-Reducing Community Storytelling (DRCS)?
• RQ2: HWhat is the impact of LBSM on residents' access to community communication resources?
• RQ3: How does LBSM usage affect multidimensional community engagement, specifically in terms of sense of belonging, collective efficacy, and community participation?
• RQ4/5: To what extent is the relationship between LBSM and community engagement mediated by DMCS versus DRCS? Which pathway exerts a stronger influence?

WP6 draws on an online survey administered to a sample of N=2,000 residents in the Seoul metropolitan area through a specialized professional research agency. The study will employ a quota sampling technique, ensuring representative distribution across gender, age cohorts (ranging from 20s to 60s and above), and administrative districts.The survey instrument will be designed to minimize response fatigue, with a targeted completion time of under 30 minutes to maintain high data integrity. For the statistical framework, multilevel modeling (MLM) will be utilized to account for the nested structure of the data, designating the individual level as Level 1 and the administrative district as Level 2.