Examining the roles of mobile and social media in political participation: A cross-national analysis of three Asian societies using a communication mediation approach

Abstract

The Asia-Pacific constitutes the fastest growing region in mobile and social media penetration. Yet, the political implications of the technologies are not fully understood. Using probability samples of university students in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, this study examines the roles of mobile and social media news in offline and online political participation. Consistent with the O-S-R-O-R model (OrientationsStimulus-Reasoning-Orientations-Response), which derives from communication and cognitive mediation models explaining the relationship between media use and political participation, all three samples demonstrated indirect relationships between mobile/social media use and political participation through interpersonal political discussion and political efficacy. The study contributes to theory building by demonstrating the external validity of the O-S-R-O-R model across different political systems.

Young People, Digital Media, and Engagement: A Meta-Analysis of Research

“…The exact effect size may vary across countries, but the sizes of the coefficients are remarkably large. For example, Chan, Chen, and Lee (2016) examine the relationship between online and off-line participation in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, using surveys of university students. The exact coefficient varies across these regions (.60, .43, and .56, respectively).…”

“…These claims merit further testing as they imply a demobilization mechanism according to which online activities substitute off-line participation. Testing these claims has been a popular focus with recent scholarship (e.g., Chan, Chen, & Lee, 2016; Kahne & Bowyer, 2018; Kim et al, 2016). However, what is missing is an aggregate perspective on the evidence (or lack thereof) in relation to slacktivist claims.…”

Determinants of cross-cutting discussion on Facebook: Political interest, news consumption, and strong-tie heterogeneity

“…While previous studies often operationalized reasoning as general political expression or discussion on social media (e.g. Chan, 2016; Chan et al, 2017), this study examines cross-cutting discussion as a variable of reasoning and, thus, contributes to the literature. Compared with general political expression, discussing politics with others who hold opposing opinions requires greater mental efforts to elaborate and reflect on the received information (Eveland and Hively, 2009; Mutz, 2006).…”

Social media prosumption and online political participation: An examination of online communication processes

“…Recent evidence indicates that social media use for news predicts online political participation (Diehl et al, 2015; Kim and Chen, 2016). Social media use for news is also related to increases in online political participation indirectly through opinion expression (Chan, 2016; Chan et al, 2017; Gil de Zúñiga et al, 2013).…”