Telethon Viewing, Social Capital, and Community Participation in South Korea

Abstract

Working from social capital and cultivation theory, this study suggests one mechanism underlying participation in altruistic activities in South Korea. Specifically, the study tested a model that explores a sequential relationship among telethon viewing, two resources of social capital (trust and neighborliness), and the intention to participate in altruistic activities. The results of the Web survey conducted for this study showed that telethon viewing affected trust and neighborliness, subsequently spurring the intention to participate in altruistic activities. The study will be useful in helping communication researchers and community development practitioners design effective messages and policies to advance community social agendas.

Keywords:

• Community Participation
• Cultivation Theory
• Social Capital
• Telethon

Notes

Note. All the correlations are significant at the 0.01 of p-value (two-tailed).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bumsub Jin

Bumsub Jin (Ph.D., University of Florida, 2009) is an assistant professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations at Hongik University, Sejong, South Korea.

Soyoon Kim

Soyoon Kim (M.A., University of Minnesota, 2010) is a doctoral candidate in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota and will begin to work as an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Miami this Fall.