Social Media, Political Efficacy, & the Effectiveness of Collective Action

• In Event: Social Media and Political Participation: A Comparative Look

Abstract

Social media use has been associated with the rise of collective action and other forms of political participation (Boulianne, 2015). Social media use can build social networks and facilitate social interaction. These social ties can make citizens feel empowered, whether or not they are indeed imbued with greater power. In this paper, we examine how social media use relates to one’s sense of individual political efficacy, group-based or collective efficacy, as well as a perceived efficacy of collective action activities, such as participating in marches and strikes as well as signing petitions. This paper uses survey data collected in 2019 in USA (n=1700), UK (n=1500), France (n=1500), and Canada (n=1500). We find that the number of social media platforms used, participation in political discussion on social media, and joining groups defending a social cause have consistently positive and significant effects across a range of political efficacy measures. We further examine whether these effects are consistent across the four countries, which differ in political structures that might affect the impact of collective action and perceptions about individual political efficacy. The findings have important implications for people’s levels of political engagement, as social media use may ameliorate declining levels of political efficacy in certain contexts. The findings also suggest that social media may also affect the choice of political activities. In particular, social media may contribute to a greater valuation of collective action, compared to more individualistic activities, such as voting.

Authors

• Shelley Boulianne, MacEwan University

• Jennifer Oser, Ben-Gurion University