Media Use and Protest: The Role of Mainstream and Alternative Media Use in Predicting Traditional and Protest Participation

Abstract

Abstract Much research has explored the role media use plays in political participation. A limitation of this work is that alternative forms of media (e.g., protest Web sites) and participation (e.g., protests) have largely been ignored. Research shows that news media treat protest activity critically, suggesting mainstream media use might discourage alternative participation. This study employs a Random Digit Dialing survey (N = 476) of a large Midwestern community to examine the role mainstream and alternative media play in influencing both traditional political participation and protest forms of participation. The findings suggest that alternative media are positively related to alternative participation and underscore the emerging importance of Web-based media. Keywords: Alternative MediaMedia UseSocial Protest Notes Note. N = 457. Coefficients are unstandardized; pseudo R 2 measure is Cox and Snell (see Cox & Snell Citation1989). Ideology: High equals conservative; Gender: High equals women. Of the participants, 15% (n = 73) were traditional-only participators, 20% (n = 97) were heavy participators, 9% (n = 44) were protest-only participators, and 55% (n = 262) were non-participators. Odds ratios are in parentheses. ∗p < .05. ∗∗p < .01. ∗∗∗p < .10. Additional informationNotes on contributorsMichael P. Boyle Michael P. Boyle (PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2004) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Chester University. Mike Schmierbach Mike Schmierbach (PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2004) is an assistant professor in the College of Communication at Pennsylvania State University.