The Revolution Will be Networked

TLDR

Social networking is a phenomenon of interest to many scholars, yet few studies examine its role in engaging people in the democratic process. This study examines how reliance on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube influences civic and political activities among Southwest residents, controlling for demographics and interpersonal discussion. The authors used a telephone survey of Southwest residents to assess the influence of social networking sites on political attitudes and democratic participation, accounting for demographics and interpersonal political discussion. Reliance on social networking sites is significantly related to increased civic participation but not political participation, while interpersonal discussion fosters both civic participation and political activity.

Abstract

Social networking is a phenomenon of interest to many scholars. While most of the recent research on social networking sites has focused on user characteristics, very few studies have examined their roles in engaging people in the democratic process. This paper relies on a telephone survey of Southwest residents to examine the extent to which reliance on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube has engaged citizens in civic and political activities. More specifically, this study looks at the extent to which social networking sites influence political attitudes and democratic participation after controlling for demographic variables and the role of interpersonal political discussion in stimulating citizen participation. The findings indicate that reliance on social networking sites is significantly related to increased civic participation, but not political participation. Interpersonal discussion fosters both civic participation and political activity. Implications of the results for democratic governance will be discussed.