Social Media Prosumption and Online Political Participation: An Examination of Underlying Online Communication Processes

• In Event: Social Media, Political Participation, and Engagement

Abstract

The current study examines an underlying mediation mechanism linking social media prosumption with online political participation. Data collected through a Web survey of an online panel of American adults reveal that a positive link between social media prosumption and online political participation is mediated by online political discussion heterogeneity and information seeking heterogeneity, respectively. Data also show that social media prosumption was positively associated with online political participation through online political discussion heterogeneity and information seeking in serial. Implications are discussed for the role of social media in the democratic process.

Authors

• Masahiro Yamamoto, U at Albany, State U of New York

• Seungahn Nah, University of Kentucky