TITLE:
“Would You Like to Talk?” Using Media Use and Interpersonal Communication to Predict Civic Engagement
AUTHORS:
Wenjing Xie
KEYWORDS:
Mass Media Use, Internet Use, Interpersonal Communication, Civic Engagement
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Journalism and Communication,
Vol.7 No.2,
June
13,
2019
ABSTRACT: By adopting the social capital
theory, this study explored the role of traditional media use, Internet use,
and personal talk in predicting civic engagement. The results from a national
survey showed that despite the strong bivariate correlation between civic
engagement and Internet access as well as traditional mass media use, when
interpersonal talk was controlled, some of the significant relationships disappeared.
This study suggested that online information seeking and political use of mass
media may facilitate the collective action and have the potential to affect the
health of civic society. Implications of the results are discussed.