New forms of citizen participation using SNS: an empirical approach

Abstract

This study empirically examined whether the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for political purposes would encourage personalized and informal modes of participation more strongly than traditional and institutional modes of participation. Multiple regression analysis was applied to data collected from a nationwide online survey conducted among Nielson Korean Click panel members in September 2015. The study found that SNS use for political purposes strengthened individualized and informal forms of citizen participation—such as online volunteering, offline political participation, involvement in informal civic organizations, and participation in conventional political organizations—rather than traditional and formal forms, including voting. This finding suggests that the development of information and communication technology has helped citizens, especially those who feel alienated in a representative democracy, to participate in a more direct and interactive manner through informal and everyday communication channels, such as SNS, as opposed to participating in a formal and sporadic manner through conventional communication channels.