A Survey on Online Political Participation, Social Capital, and Well-Being in Social Media Users—Based on the Second Phase of the Third (2019) TCS Taiwan Communication Survey Database

This study focused on the frequency of social media use. Through investigating and verifying the correlations between social media use frequency, online political participation, and social capital, we derived two models of socialization that affect citizen well-being and, accordingly, proposed strategic suggestions for democratic society construction and network management. This study drew upon the 2019 Taiwan Communication Survey database and used structural equation modeling (SEM) as a statistical method to explore the causal relationship between these four variables (social media use, online political participation, social capital and well-being). The data analysis yielded an overall good fit with the overall fit indicators: χ2 = 214.417, df = 84, p = 2.293, RMSEA = 0.028, GFI = 0.998, CFI = 0.986, SRMR = 0.066, and CN = 993.411. Future communication scholars who wish to explore issues related to new media users can draw on this model for subsequent research.

Organizational use of Social Media and its impacts on Politics: Evidence from Pakistan

<p>Past studies have focused on organizational use of social media (SM) for service delivery, publicity and public relations, but, how can a public sector organization influence the country’s politics through the use of SM is unknown in literature. Drawing on the theory of Organizational Impression Management (IM) and the concept of authoritarian legacies, this study investigates that how a public sector security organization (Pakistani military) linked with country’s authoritarian past can use the Social Media Activists (SMAs) to influence citizen’s political participation. A random sampling (n=407) technique was used while conducting the survey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesis, which demonstrate that the SM user’s connectedness with the military aligned SMAs is significant and positively associates with their voting realignments and online political participation. The results also indicate that the offline political participation compliments online political participation and political disposition positively relates with online political participation. Our study introduces a new conceptual construct of SMAs aligned with authoritarian legacies and test it empirically. The study adds new prospects for the use of organizational IM theory in relation to the digital media, politics and authoritarianism. </p>

Organizational use of Social Media and its impacts on Politics: Evidence from Pakistan

<p>Past studies have focused on organizational use of social media (SM) for service delivery, publicity and public relations, but, how can a public sector organization influence the country’s politics through the use of SM is unknown in literature. Drawing on the theory of Organizational Impression Management (IM) and the concept of authoritarian legacies, this study investigates that how a public sector security organization (Pakistani military) linked with country’s authoritarian past can use the Social Media Activists (SMAs) to influence citizen’s political participation. A random sampling (n=407) technique was used while conducting the survey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesis, which demonstrate that the SM user’s connectedness with the military aligned SMAs is significant and positively associates with their voting realignments and online political participation. The results also indicate that the offline political participation compliments online political participation and political disposition positively relates with online political participation. Our study introduces a new conceptual construct of SMAs aligned with authoritarian legacies and test it empirically. The study adds new prospects for the use of organizational IM theory in relation to the digital media, politics and authoritarianism. </p>

The impact of intolerance on young people’s online political participation

This article investigates the impact of intolerance on online political participation among young Europeans. Based on the theoretical insights of (in)tolerance, political participation, youth, and media studies, we explore whether and to what extent intolerant attitudes drive young people’s online political participation. In doing this, we draw on original survey data with booster samples for young people, covering nine European countries. Our results show that intolerance leads to more online political activities among young people. However, these individuals are not socially isolated and marginalised; in fact, the effect of intolerant attitudes on online political engagement is reinforced by participation in offline unconventional forms of participation and social capital. Our findings bear important consequences for the understanding of intolerant attitudes, youth politics, and (online) political participation.

Cross-Cutting Discussion on Social Media and Online Political Participation: A Cross-National Examination of Information Seeking and Social Accountability Explanations

The question of whether cross-cutting discussion engenders or depresses political participation has offered mixed findings in the literature. Following recommendations from a meta-analysis, this study tests two competing arguments: the information seeking explanation for engendering participation and the social accountability explanation for attenuating participation. Probability surveys were conducted among young adults in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, and analyses examined the relationship between cross-cutting discussion on social media and online political participation. For the Taiwan and Hong Kong samples, political information seeking positively mediated the relationship, but desire to avoid social conflict also attenuated the relationship. Neither mechanism was significant for the China sample. The findings suggest that the competing explanations are not mutually exclusive, and they highlight the importance of examining the variety of contingent conditions that influence the relationship between cross-cutting discussion and political participation in different national contexts.

A galaxy of apps: Mobile app reliance and the indirect influence on political participation through political discussion and trust

The power of app-driven mobile phones was first unleashed in 2011 when they were used to mobilize protesters and gain support for political movements in the United States and abroad. Mobile devices have since become the bedrock of political activism. To examine the influence of app reliance on offline and online political participation, this study builds on the Orientation-Stimulus-Reasoning-Orientation-Response (O-S-R-O-R) model by (a) applying the model to mobile apps, (b) testing whether trust in, and reliance on political discussion are mediators between reliance on apps and political participation, and (c) using trust in both offline and online discussion as measures of cognitive elaboration. This study’s path model suggests that app reliance is related to online political discussion, which, in turn, is related to online political participation, but not offline participation. Although both offline and online discussion are linked to offline and online trust in political discussion, trust in political discussion does not influence either offline or online political participation.