Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement
Young citizens increasingly turn to social media platforms for political information. These platforms enable direct communication between politicians and citizens, circumventing the influence of traditional news outlets. We still know little about the consequences of direct contact with politicians...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cogitatio
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Media and Communication |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2764 |
| _version_ | 1828750910848761856 |
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| author | Franziska Marquart Jakob Ohme Judith Möller |
| author_facet | Franziska Marquart Jakob Ohme Judith Möller |
| author_sort | Franziska Marquart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Young citizens increasingly turn to social media platforms for political information. These platforms enable direct communication between politicians and citizens, circumventing the influence of traditional news outlets. We still know little about the consequences of direct contact with politicians on such platforms for citizens’ political participation. Here, we argue that the interplay of different actors in the political news diet of citizens should be investigated from a networked communication perspective. Relying on a cross-sectional survey of young Danes (15–25 years old, n = 567), we investigate the relationship between following politicians on social media and: (a) the composition of young citizens’ political media diet; and (b) their civic messaging and campaign participation. Following political actors on social media relates to increased campaign engagement and can be a catalyst for young people’s exposure to campaign news, but their friends and followers function as the main node of their political online networks. We document a process of the de-mediation of politics on social media: Established news media lose influence as primary information sources for young citizens. We discuss these results in the context of users’ active curation and passive selection of their political social media diet. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:45:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5fca45215fc4f32a508c26e92341bcc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2439 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:45:22Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Media and Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-b5fca45215fc4f32a508c26e92341bcc2022-12-22T01:34:15ZengCogitatioMedia and Communication2183-24392020-05-018219720710.17645/mac.v8i2.27641438Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth EngagementFranziska Marquart0Jakob Ohme1Judith Möller2Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The NetherlandsAmsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The NetherlandsAmsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The NetherlandsYoung citizens increasingly turn to social media platforms for political information. These platforms enable direct communication between politicians and citizens, circumventing the influence of traditional news outlets. We still know little about the consequences of direct contact with politicians on such platforms for citizens’ political participation. Here, we argue that the interplay of different actors in the political news diet of citizens should be investigated from a networked communication perspective. Relying on a cross-sectional survey of young Danes (15–25 years old, n = 567), we investigate the relationship between following politicians on social media and: (a) the composition of young citizens’ political media diet; and (b) their civic messaging and campaign participation. Following political actors on social media relates to increased campaign engagement and can be a catalyst for young people’s exposure to campaign news, but their friends and followers function as the main node of their political online networks. We document a process of the de-mediation of politics on social media: Established news media lose influence as primary information sources for young citizens. We discuss these results in the context of users’ active curation and passive selection of their political social media diet.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2764campaign engagementdenmarknetworked communicationpolitical actorssocial media useyouth participation |
| spellingShingle | Franziska Marquart Jakob Ohme Judith Möller Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement Media and Communication campaign engagement denmark networked communication political actors social media use youth participation |
| title | Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement |
| title_full | Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement |
| title_fullStr | Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement |
| title_short | Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement |
| title_sort | following politicians on social media effects for political information peer communication and youth engagement |
| topic | campaign engagement denmark networked communication political actors social media use youth participation |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2764 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT franziskamarquart followingpoliticiansonsocialmediaeffectsforpoliticalinformationpeercommunicationandyouthengagement AT jakobohme followingpoliticiansonsocialmediaeffectsforpoliticalinformationpeercommunicationandyouthengagement AT judithmoller followingpoliticiansonsocialmediaeffectsforpoliticalinformationpeercommunicationandyouthengagement |