Abstract
Recent studies have shown that online participation is a multi-dimensional phenomenon that replicates and extends existing forms of political engagement. What is less clear is the mobilizing potential of these different types of activity and particularly whether they trigger offline participation. This paper addresses these questions in an analysis of citizens online and offline behaviour in the context of a UK General Election. Specifically we identify three different modes of online engagement in the campaign, profile the individuals most likely to engage in them, and examine whether they affected individuals’ likelihood of voting. Our findings show that while newer social media based ‘e-expressive’ activities are most likely to appeal to those individuals who are not already engaged in politics they do not necessarily increase the likelihood of voting. By contrast higher consumption of news and information online during an election does appear to significantly boost individuals’ chances of turning out to vote.
Highlights
Over the past two decades a growing body of work has attempted to assess the impact of the internet on citizen participation in representative politics
The findings to date on the first question have been consistent and positive in confirming that ‘e-participation’ is a multi-dimensional phenomenon which encompasses conventional activities such as campaigning and contacting government as well as more passive types of engagement such as looking for news and information (GIBSON; CANTIJOCH, 2013; HIRZALLA; VAN ZOONEN, 2011; SAGLIE; VABO, 2007). This growing understanding of the structural complexity of online participation follows in part from the expansion of items available to measure relevant activities but is a product of ‘time’ itself, and the recent technological diversification that has occurred with the arrival of social media platforms
While the precise modes of online participation identified to date have varied based on data availability, the results have consistently shown a division of activities into more active and passive types that largely mirror those found in offline participation
Summary
Over the past two decades a growing body of work has attempted to assess the impact of the internet on citizen participation in representative politics. The findings to date on the first question have been consistent and positive in confirming that ‘e-participation’ is a multi-dimensional phenomenon which encompasses conventional activities such as campaigning and contacting government as well as more passive types of engagement such as looking for news and information (GIBSON; CANTIJOCH, 2013; HIRZALLA; VAN ZOONEN, 2011; SAGLIE; VABO, 2007). This growing understanding of the structural complexity of online participation follows in part from the expansion of items available to measure relevant activities but is a product of ‘time’ itself, and the recent technological diversification that has occurred with the arrival of social media platforms. This newer mode along with lower intensity activities such as information seeking have been identified as possible triggers to more active types of both online and offline participation
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