Social Media Use for News and Individuals' Social Capital, Civic Engagement and Political Participation
Abstract
Recently, scholars tested how digital media use for informational purposes similarly contributes to foster democratic processes and the creation of social capital. Nevertheless, in the context of today's socially-networked-society and the rise of social media applications (i.e., Facebook) new perspectives need to be considered. Based on U.S. national data, results show that after controlling for demographic variables, traditional media use offline and online, political constructs (knowledge and efficacy), and frequency and size of political discussion networks, seeking information via social network sites is a positive and significant predictor of people's social capital and civic and political participatory behaviors, online and offline.
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More and more, communications about morality and politics within social networks are computer-mediated.
“More and more, communications about morality and politics within social networks are computer-mediated (15)”
From Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks (2017) · cites this paper as [15]
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- Authors
- Gil de Zúñiga, H., Jung, N., & Valenzuela, S.
- Affiliations
- Seoul Women's University (KR)
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL)
- Venue
- Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2012-04
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 319-336
- ISSN
- 1083-6101 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2146307317
- Semantic Scholar
- fd25941d8a9bd1715d5a897cfaf2966736016f3f
- Cited by
- 1,821
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 69 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 94 · 2023: 159 · 2022: 123 · 2021: 197 · 2020: 154 · 2019: 186 · 2018: 172 · 2017: 161 · 2016: 167 · 2015: 128 · 2014: 71 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 263.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Capital and Networks
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
- Keywords
- social media use, social capital, citizen participation, political participation, news seeking, social network sites, Facebook, political knowledge, political efficacy, political discussion networks, democratic process
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