Internet Political Participation Research Articles

Understanding Inclusive Government in China: Responses to Internet Political Participation

As a key democratizing factor in China, Internet political participation is shifting the balance of power between government and the public, and has recently attracted increasing academic attention...

Internet Political Participation and Public Agenda-Setting

There are growing calls for social network analysis methods to be more extensively deployed in governance practice and research. This article develops a formal framework for whether and how netizens change the model of public agenda setting through internet political participation. Drawing on the case of “PX Event in Zhangzhou,” this article aims to explore the social network structure in the process of micro-blog public opinion diffusion in public agendas based on SNA. By introducing the relevant theories into the research of public agenda setting, and focusing on the practice by which local governments do urban governance under the environment of internet political participation, the analysis reveals that the new whole network structure based on new media changes the action of social actors, in which consistently the mode of public agenda-setting is transformed from the traditional one-way to the interactive-way. This article extends the existing research discourse domain of public agenda setting and government response, further generalize the “Queen Bee mode” of government response.

Research on How Internet Political Participation Influences Government Trust in Emergencies Using Mobile Internet Environment as Basis

In the mobile network era, governments at all levels realize that after incidents, the attention and participation of Internet users on the incidents through their mobile phones significantly influence political trust. How to deal with the adverse effects of Internet political participation during emergencies has become a focus in academia. This study investigates the effects of Internet political participation on government trust using quantitative analysis methods, including questionnaire survey and data analysis, and explores whether government information disclosure moderates the effects. Results show that after emergencies, the more relevant information the public obtains from mobile Internet, the higher the public assessment on the ability and benevolence dimensions of government trust. However, such information negatively affects assessment on the integrity dimension. In addition, the more political behaviors the public express through mobile Internet, the lower they view the ability dimension. The findings also suggest that government information disclosure positively moderates all the relations. Nevertheless, human interaction with others through mobile Internet is not directly and significantly related to government trust.

Internet use and political participation: Engaging citizenship norms through online activities

ABSTRACTResearch on the relationship between Internet use and political participation has identified numerous effects that result from various online activities, though the mechanisms of influence often remain unclear. In response, we develop a theory of Internet effects and citizenship norms, wherein specific uses of the Internet influence political participation by fostering dutiful or actualizing norms of citizenship. Using a longitudinal research design comprised of five nationally representative, postelection surveys (2002–2010), we find that people who engage in dutiful uses are more likely to participate in the dutiful act of voting than those who engage in actualizing uses; these findings are most prevalent among those aged 18–30. These results suggest that online activities, which reflect specific norms of citizenship, often predict corresponding forms of political participation.

Political Engagement on the Internet and Technologies of Its Implementation in Modern Russia

The article presents data of sociological research of the online political participation of citizens and political actors in modern Russia. The research was focused on the Internet political participation as an important component of citizens' political involvement that has a significant impact on a political process in modern Russia. By the political participation on the Internet, we mean the use of Internet technologies to involve different groups of citizens into policy; to organize interaction of political actors and citizens; to affect the formation and implementation of political decisions, formation and functioning of political institutions, activity of political and public organizations as well as to affect the activity of non-system political movements and actions for radical transformation of the existing political system. The article comprises data of the expert opinion polls conducted by the author in October-November 2012 in 4 subjects of the Russian Federation (the Yaroslavl Region, Vologda Region, Ulyanovsk Region and Novosibirsk Region), with the sample of 30 persons. A mass Internet poll was conducted among the users actively participating in online political campaigns, and other politically engaged Internet users, with the sample of 400 interviewees. In this article, the author presents the data results from 15 regions of Russia. A degree of the main actors' Internet political engagement has been analyzed. The authors have determined the most popular and efficient forms and technologies of the Internet participation. Special attention has been paid to the analysis of forms and mechanisms of political actors' Internet participation during election campaigns. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s2p209

Online political participation, civic talk, and media multiplexity: how Taiwanese citizens express political opinions on the Web

This study seeks to assess the implications of the social use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for online political participation. Past research investigating the link between ICTs and political participation has emphasized the informational use of ICTs, overlooking their communication-enabling potentials for facilitating political talk in interpersonal spaces and subsequently, political participation in public domains. To understand further how ICTs as a means of communication may relate to political participation, we use data from the 2008 Taiwan Social Change Survey (N = 1076) to examine the relationship between the Internet and online political participation by looking at online media use for social interaction and engagement in civic talk online. Our findings suggest that interpersonal factors such as online civic talk and media multiplexity are positively associated with online political participation. Individuals who discuss politics with their friends via the Internet and those who use more types of online media for social interaction are more likely to contact legislators and elected officials directly via the Web and articulate their political thoughts in online public spaces such as forums, blogs, and websites of news media. We further offer an assessment of the findings' implications for political participation, political communication, and digital inequality.

Digital Media and Traditional Political Participation Over Time in the U.S.

ABSTRACT Research shows that digital media use is positively related to political participation. However, this relationship does not appear in all studies. To date, researchers have generally treated inconsistent findings from study to study and from election to election as an empirical problem that reflects differences in measurement and model specification. In this article, we question the assumption that a consistent relationship between Internet use and political participation should exist over time. We test this expectation using 12 years of data from the American National Election Studies. Our findings support the expectation that a general measure of Internet use for political information is not consistently related to six acts of traditional political participation across elections.

Young Immigrants’ Internet Political Participation in Germany

This paper discusses the results of research on young immigrants’ political participation on the Internet in Germany. The research focuses on young people from Turkish and East European backgrounds. The interrelation between offline political activities and online political participation is explained and the differences between the two groups are examined. While young German Turks are particularly politically active Internet users, young German East Europeans are rather hesitant about using the Internet for political purposes. Statistical models show that young German Turks’ political Internet use is motivated by grievances, while young German East Europeans’ political Internet use is motivated by sentimental pessimism and world-weariness.

Kids These Days: Examining Differences in Political Uses and Gratifications, Internet Political Participation, Political Information Efficacy, and Cynicism on the Basis of Age

Using a telephone survey of randomly selected voters from the general population, the authors sought to understand the interrelatedness of the use of the Internet as a political information source with perception of political participation, political information efficacy, and cynicism. Guided by the uses and gratifications theory and employing the Political Media Gratifications Scale, the authors examine these constructs in terms of emergent generational differences. Findings indicate that digital natives differ from their older voting counterparts, and the researchers conclude more research must investigate further to accurate determine meaning.

Clicking Your Way to the Polls: The Internet and Political Participation 1996-2008

This paper explores the connection between Internet access as well as Internet campaign news to political participation, namely voting and campaign activities. Using NES cross-sectional data from 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008, the paper finds that both Internet access and Internet campaign news are statistically related to higher levels of political participation largely confirming and extending the findings of Tolbert and McNeal (2003). However, I also find that the relationship between Internet campaign news and political participation is conditioned by political interest. Internet use is only positively related to turnout for those who say they have lower political interest.

The Study about the Internet political participation and Crisis overcome of Representative democracy

The Study about the Internet political participation and Crisis overcome of Representative democracy

Internet Network and Political Participation of the Online Generation

Internet Network and Political Participation of the Online Generation

Australian young people's participatory practices and internet use

This paper examines the relationship between Internet use and political participation among Australian young people. Based on original survey data it demonstrates that there clearly exists a ‘digital divide’ amongst 18–34-year-old Australians, which is delineated on demographic characteristics of geography, education level, income level and occupational classification. While the Internet has far from replaced the traditional information sources of television and newspapers, it does, however, facilitate participation undertaken by already politically engaged young people. The Internet has fundamental importance in facilitating information sharing and organizing for young people involved in activist and community groups. The paper also provides case studies of two non-government, youth-oriented organizations with participatory Internet sites (Vibewire Youth Services and Inspire Foundation) to further explore the potential of Internet enhancement of young people's autonomous political spaces. One site provides Internet-only, youth-specific mental health services and has developed a portal for active community-based participation. It has won commendations for encouraging youth ownership of service provision and providing space for youth participation. The other site provides discussion and journalism for and by young people on a range of cultural, social and political issues. This site also engages in mainstream political issues through ‘electiontracker’, which provided four young people with the opportunity to join the mainstream media in following and reporting on the 2004 Australian federal election campaign. The focus in this paper on heterogenous acts of participation is able to expand our understanding of the democratizing potential of young people's Internet-based political practices.

Government Surveillance and Political Participation on the Internet

Although more is probably known about the causes of political participation than any other political behavior, the research program suffers in that it generally assumes citizens operate within an unproblematic surveillance context. This article argues that the growing use of the Internet for political participation and the government’s expanded electronic surveillance capacities make this assumption increasingly dubious. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s insights concerning surveillance and resistance, this article develops empirical hypotheses related to surveillance and Internet political participation. Testing these hypotheses using data derived from a unique probability sample survey of U.S. Internet users, surveillance is shown to influence online political activity. Those who oppose the current administration, and who perceive the government monitors their Internet behavior, participate in politics online at the highest rates. Finally, the implications of these results are discussed.

Analyzing the representativeness of internet political participation

Political participation researchers have developed several evaluative techniques to assess the representativeness of political participation patterns. Yet, while the Internet has become a mainstream avenue for political participation in the United States, current assessments of online participation insufficiently apply these methods. To incorporate these methods we begin by drawing upon resource theory to inform two-stage ordered-logit models of online and offline political participation. Our results suggest that the factors predicting online participation often differ from the factors that predict offline participation. Even so, we find that those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds tend to disproportionately possess these distinct online determinants. Next, we use a wide spectrum of political opinion questions to determine whether online participators’ opinions reflect or distort those of the general population. Overall, we find that online participation tends to relate moderately with liberal preferences. However, because offline participation relates to political attitudes similarly, the Internet only marginally advantages the political voice of liberals. Finally, we discuss the implications of these results.

Assessing the Potential of Internet Political Participation in the United States

An emerging scholarly consensus asserts that patterns of Internet political participation will merely imitate the established patterns of participatory inequality in the United States. Because those from advantaged backgrounds access the medium at higher rates, the opportunities to participate via the Internet should disproportionately extend to high-resource individuals. I argue that the focus on access has important theoretical limitations. If one accepts the future possibility of near-equal access, then explorations of the Internet’s participatory potential should include theoretical guidance about what types of individuals would most likely participate if equal Internet access were achieved. Drawing on diverse literature, two expectations develop; one predicts the reinforcement of existing participation patterns, and the other suggests a change in those patterns to include new types of individuals. I empirically test these competing claims, concluding that given equalized access, the Internet shows genuine potential to bring new individuals into the political process.

The Study of Information Technology and Civic Engagement

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeKeywords: Civic Engagement Information Technology Internet Political Participation Technology Integration

The Internet and the Democratization of Civic Culture

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeKeywords: Citizenship Civic Culture Identity Internet Political Participation Public Sphere