TY - JOUR
T1 - WhatsApp political discussion, conventional participation and activism
T2 - exploring direct, indirect and generational effects
AU - Gil de Zúñiga, Homero
AU - Ardèvol-Abreu, Alberto
AU - Casero-Ripollés, Andreu
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by Grant FA2386-15-1-0003 from the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development. Alberto Ardèvol-Abreu is funded by the ‘Viera y Clavijo’ Program from the Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información (ACIISI) and the Universidad de La Laguna (ULL).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Ordinary citizens are increasingly using mobile instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp for politically-related activities. Compared to other ‘semi-public’ online platforms, WhatsApp provides a more intimate and controlled environment in which users can almost simultaneously gather and share news, discuss politics, and mobilize others. Relying on two-wave panel data collected in Spain, USA, and New Zealand, this study examines the mediating role of WhatsApp political discussion in the relationships between different types of news use and various forms of political participation. First, our findings reveal WhatsApp discussion has a positive influence on activism, and a more nuanced effect on conventional participation. Second, results are partially supportive of a fully mediated set of influences between news media and social media news uses and both types of participation via WhatsApp. Finally, the study examines age differential effects between younger (Gen Xers and Millennials) and older (Boomers) age groups.
AB - Ordinary citizens are increasingly using mobile instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp for politically-related activities. Compared to other ‘semi-public’ online platforms, WhatsApp provides a more intimate and controlled environment in which users can almost simultaneously gather and share news, discuss politics, and mobilize others. Relying on two-wave panel data collected in Spain, USA, and New Zealand, this study examines the mediating role of WhatsApp political discussion in the relationships between different types of news use and various forms of political participation. First, our findings reveal WhatsApp discussion has a positive influence on activism, and a more nuanced effect on conventional participation. Second, results are partially supportive of a fully mediated set of influences between news media and social media news uses and both types of participation via WhatsApp. Finally, the study examines age differential effects between younger (Gen Xers and Millennials) and older (Boomers) age groups.
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U2 - 10.1080/1369118X.2019.1642933
DO - 10.1080/1369118X.2019.1642933
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85101462804
SN - 1369-118X
VL - 24
SP - 201
EP - 218
JO - Information Communication and Society
JF - Information Communication and Society
IS - 2
ER -