Examining the Relationship Between College Students’ Facebook Experiences and Off-Line Civic Engagement

• In Event: Explorations of Virtual Learning Environments: Uses of Social Media

Abstract

This study examines how Facebook use is related with college students’ civic engagement, specifically, how Facebook network size, Facebook interaction, and Facebook social support are associated with civic engagement. This study also examines how networking skills as a mechanism mediate the relationships. Conducting SEM with survey data, the study found significant positive effects of Facebook use on civic engagement. Also, networking skills served as a mechanism mediating the relations among Facebook network size, Facebook social support, and civic engagement. Students with a larger network size and a higher level of giving social support on Facebook develop networking skills better, which contribute to a higher civic engagement. The findings imply a potential use of SNSs to enhance college students’ civic engagement.

Authors

• Kye-Hyoung Lee, The University of Texas at Austin

• Wenhong Chen, The University of Texas - Austin