Perceptual processes and political participation: Do the presumed reach and the presumed influence of social media affect political activities via Facebook and Twitter?
-
Uli Bernhard
and
Marco Dohle
Abstract
The perception that many other people are being reached and affected by political communication can be a reason for intensifying one’s own communication activities. An online survey among German citizens (n = 2,957) was carried out to determine whether this is also true for political communication activities via social media. Results show that the presumed reach and the presumed influence of Facebook and Twitter with regard to the individual’s circle of friends/acquaintances affect the intensity of online communication. However, perceptions concerning the population in general are not relevant. This indicates that individuals primarily address their own social environment with their political social networking practices. Thus, by concentrating on perceptual processes, the findings contribute to shedding light on the causes and motives for political communication activities in the social media world.
© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelseiten
- Articles
- Perceptual processes and political participation: Do the presumed reach and the presumed influence of social media affect political activities via Facebook and Twitter?
- How citizens (could) turn into an informed public: Explaining citizens’ attentiveness for European parliamentary elections
- Digital media, youth practices and representations of recent activism in Portugal
- Measuring media and information literacy skills: Construction of a test
- Season of birth and media use
- Book Reviews
- Bunce, M., Franks, S., and Paterson, C. (Eds.) 2016. Africa’s media image in the 21st century: From the “Heart of Darkness” to “Africa Rising”. London: Routledge. 240 pp.
- Galpin, C. 2017. The Euro crisis and European identities: Political and media discourse in Germany, Ireland and Poland. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 259 pp.
- Barnes, S. B. 2017. Branding as communication. (Visual Communication Vol. 5). New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc. 204 pp.
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelseiten
- Articles
- Perceptual processes and political participation: Do the presumed reach and the presumed influence of social media affect political activities via Facebook and Twitter?
- How citizens (could) turn into an informed public: Explaining citizens’ attentiveness for European parliamentary elections
- Digital media, youth practices and representations of recent activism in Portugal
- Measuring media and information literacy skills: Construction of a test
- Season of birth and media use
- Book Reviews
- Bunce, M., Franks, S., and Paterson, C. (Eds.) 2016. Africa’s media image in the 21st century: From the “Heart of Darkness” to “Africa Rising”. London: Routledge. 240 pp.
- Galpin, C. 2017. The Euro crisis and European identities: Political and media discourse in Germany, Ireland and Poland. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 259 pp.
- Barnes, S. B. 2017. Branding as communication. (Visual Communication Vol. 5). New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc. 204 pp.
