Political consumerism: Civic engagement and the social media connection

Abstract

An ongoing debate concerns the extent to which political consumerism constitutes political behavior. To address this debate, researchers have examined several predictors of political consumerism, but have not focused on its communicative dimensions, especially with respect to digital media. In this study we conceptualize political consumerism as a form of civic engagement, and we theorize that people who use social media are more likely to engage in political consumerism than those who do not. Using original survey data collected in the US, we find that political consumerism is more closely related to civic engagement than it is to political participation, and that use of social media mediates the relationship between general Internet use and political consumerism.

Tweeting Taksim communication power and social media advocacy in the Taksim square protests

“…Studies have confirmed the correlation between social media use and getting involved in a cause or issue (Mano, 2014;de Zúñiga, Copeland, & Bimber, 2013). Ozdemir (2012) has argued, ''The masses that realize that their contributions can have a rapid effect and outcome become more willing to participate in the advocacy activities'' (p. 27).…”

Political protest 2.0: Social media and the 2012 student strike in the province of Quebec, Canada

“…They have shown strong links between political engagement and social media (for example, Gil de Zúñiga et al, 2014;Loader et al, 2014;Xenos et al, 2014;Boulianne, 2015). Specifically, a metaanalysis of 36 academic studies dealing with uses of social networking sites for political engagement found a 'positive relationship between social media use and participation in civic and political life' (Boulianne, 2015, p. 534).…”

‘We need to get together and make ourselves heard’: everyday online spaces as incubators of political action

“…One area that has received ample attention is the rise of an increasingly personalized lifestyle politics where people under-90 take political actions that are not captured by traditional measures and are often outside of the formal political sphere (De Zúñiga, Copeland, & Bimber, 2013;Hay, 2007;Stolle & Micheletti, 2013). Here, individuals increasingly organize social and political meaning around their lifestyle values as opposed to traditional structures and institutions (Beck, 1997;Bennett, 1998).…”