Social media and political participation: the role of social psychological and social media variables

Abstract

Is social media use related to political participation? Andhow does social media use interact with social psychological variables in predicting political participation?Asurvey study (N= 238) examined the relationships among social psychological variables (political identification, political self-efficacy), social media variables (social media use, presumed social media influence) and political participation. Results showed that presumed social media influence and social media political use predicted political participation, while general social media use motives (e.g.,fun-social, escapism, utilitarian) did not.Political identification and political self-efficacy had both direct and indirect (through social media variables) effects on political participation. A structural equation model provided corroborating evidence to these relationships, suggesting a complementary and mediational function of social media in predicting political participation.