Mobile communication and political participation: unravelling the effects of mobile phones on political expression and offline participation among young people
by Hua Pang
International Journal of Electronic Governance (IJEG), Vol. 10, No. 1, 2018

Abstract: In recent years, mobile devices have dramatically transformed the landscape of political communication by expanding individuals' access to political information and their opportunities to express their own opinions among network ties. Previous research has already established a connection between informational uses of the mobile phone and the engagement in the civic and political spheres of social life. Consistent with this line of research, this study examined how various patterns of cell phone use affect the levels of political expression as well as offline participation, presenting a portrait of a new type of mobile political communication in the context of China. Hierarchical regression analysis reveals that reading news and tweeting via mobile phones were positively associated with political expression. Moreover, results indicate that mobile-based political expression had direct effects on offline political participation. Furthermore, results validate political expression as a mediator between certain mobile phone use and offline political participation. Finally, the study discusses the implications and limitation for future research.

Online publication date: Thu, 19-Apr-2018

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Electronic Governance (IJEG):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com