A dialectic perspective on the interactive relationship between social media and civic participation: the moderating role of social capital

ABSTRACT

By analyzing representative national survey data, this study explores the ways in which social media and social capital jointly affect civic participation. In particular, the study examines how the use of social media to express opinions or acquire trusted information influence citizens participatory activities in civic affairs. Our findings suggest that both social media use and social capital promote civic activities. Interestingly, this study reveals that social media exert differential effects on civic participation, depending on the individual's level of social capital, rather than having an equal impact on civic participation. The study offers a new perspective from which to examine the relationships between social media, social capital, and civic participation. The results and implications are discussed in detail below.

KEYWORDS:

• Social media
• social capital
• civic participation
• moderating role

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Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Doo-Hun Choi is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Interaction Science at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea. His research focuses on the role that new media play in society. [email: [email protected]]

Dong-Hee Shin is a professor in the School of Media and Communication at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. His research interests include digital media and content, human-centered systems, social networks and their implications for information dissemination, and collective attention. [email: [email protected]]

Notes on contributors

Doo-Hun Choi is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Interaction Science at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea. His research focuses on the role that new media play in society. [email: [email protected]]

Dong-Hee Shin is a professor in the School of Media and Communication at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. His research interests include digital media and content, human-centered systems, social networks and their implications for information dissemination, and collective attention. [email: [email protected]]