Living in the Smartphone Age: Examining the Conditional Indirect Effects of Mobile Phone Use on Political Participation

Yonghwan Kim, Hsuan Ting Chen, Yuan Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Employing original survey data, this study examined how mobile phone communication is associated with political participation. Findings revealed that informational use of mobile phone and mobile-based political talk are positively associated with political participation. Specifically, using a mobile smartphone for news and information leads to increased levels of political participation through mobile-mediated political discussion. More importantly, we found gaps in political participation between individuals with higher and lower education levels: education significantly moderates the mediating relationship, with more educated individuals showing a stronger effect of mobile phone use for news/information on political participation through mobile-mediated political discussion.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)694-713
Number of pages20
JournalJournal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Volume60
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2016

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