Mobile media and political participation: Defining and developing an emerging field

Abstract

Mobile media have become increasingly popular and important in recent years as a means of accessing political information and participating in politics and elections worldwide. However, the emergent field of mobile-focused political participation research requires further definition and development to more clearly address why and how mobile media are producing distinct consequences for political participation. To address this problem, this article uses interdisciplinary insights and a critical review of relevant literature to identify research opportunities that stand to advance mobile political communication theory. Contributions and limitations of studies focused on ICTs and political participation are reviewed and discussed. Analysis of studies focused on the political participation outcomes of mobile media use is synthesized with theory from user-focused mobile communication literature to highlight the unique qualities that distinguish mobile media and the implications of those distinguishing features for studying political participation. Recommendations are made for research directions that would further investigate the association of mobile media’s distinctive features with online and offline forms of political participation. This analysis indicates opportunities for scholars to unpack mobile media’s unique features in ways that potentially redefine political participation, and, accordingly, further the development of research questions and theories that investigate the relationship of mobile media and political participation. It is concluded that research is needed that explains mobile media use in finer detail, accounts for shifting conceptualizations of political participation, and contributes to the development of cross-cultural comparative frameworks.

Social Media and Local Governments

“…Spaces for social media-enabled engagement hold promise at the local government level as the proximity of place retains importance in both digital and political practices (Farman 2012 ;Wilken and Goggin 2012 ;Margolis and Moreno-Riaño 2009 ;Malina 1999 ). Moreover, connectivity and the broader social, economic, and political contexts of locales infl uence digital experiences (Martin 2014 ;Farman 2012 ). The communicative practices of local governments are therefore important spaces for democratic participation.…”

Social Networks and Politics: The Use of Facebook in the Costa Rican 2014 Presidential Election

“…That is, that which, in the context of new trends in information and communication, creates certain social reactions, through each person participating in such contexts of hyper-reality. Elements such as selfefficacy [3] and political engaement [10] are central to recent studies on Internet and politics, especially SNS. This paper does not drift much apart from it.…”

“…Regarding this, self-efficacy implies the condition by which individuals break traditional structures of information consumption and processing; with the existence of new and diverse sources of information, as well as new and traditional media outlets, people seek to approach information by their own means. Another way to look at it is to understand it as the feeling of relative sufficiency each person experiences, regarding their interests and needs in terms of news usage [3].…”

Mobile media activity breadth and political engagement: an online resource perspective

“…For citizens in many countries, mobile media have become increasingly popular and important outlets for political communication, including exchanges through social networking sites, political news consumption, texting social contacts about politics, and mobilising political protests (Martin, 2014). Meanwhile, news organisations, candidates, and interest groups have developed mobile-compatible websites, invested heavily in social media for political purposes, and created mobile applications to share political information (Cogburn and Espinoza-Vasquez, 2011).…”