Twenty Years, Thirty-Five Countries: Digital Media Effects on Participation

• In Event: Internet Access and Digital Media Influences on Participation

Abstract

Popular and academic discourse characterize digital media as revolutionary. However, the effects of digital media on citizens’ participation in civic and political life remain an open question. This paper summarizes the findings from over 300 studies conducted across the globe over the past 20 years. The average standardized effect size is modest.While the effects may vary cross-nationally, the major story is the trend data. The trend data show a pattern of small positive average effects turning into substantial effects. These larger effects may be explained by the diffusion of this technology across the masses and changes in the types of use, particularly the rise of social networking sites and tools for online political participation.

Author

• Shelley Boulianne, MacEwan U