Fostering Active Citizenship: Facebook's Role in Youth Civic Engagement

Autores/as

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7764/cdi.57.63423

Palabras clave:

participatory organizations; citizen participation; facebook; UTAUT; civic engagement; young; Social Media Platforms.

Resumen

Social media platforms (SMPs) have revolutionized social networks by facilitating connections and shaping the landscape of social interactions. The role of SMPs in contemporary civic participation, both online and offline, is undeniable. However, to understand the beliefs that drive young adults to use popular SMPs such as Facebook for civic engagement, fresh perspectives must be considered. This study extends the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) by conducting a questionnaire among 209 university students who actively use Facebook. Our results show that both expectancy and social influence gave a significant impact on students' intentions to use Facebook for civic engagement. We also identify Facebook mobilization efforts via smartphones as a strong predictor of both intention and use of Facebook for civic engagement. These findings indicate that Facebook is a valuable tool for young people to engage and participate in online social and political movements. While we acknowledge the limitations of this study, our analysis underscores the immense potential of SMPs as means for political participation.

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Biografía del autor/a

Juan Diego Borrero, Universidad de Huelva, Huelva, España

Juan Diego Borrero, ingeniero agrónomo, doctor en Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales y licenciado en Derecho, ha desempeñado su labor desde 1999 en el departamento de Dirección de Empresas y Marketing de la Universidad de Huelva. Ha realizado varias estancias posdoctorales en centros de investigación de referencia, como Cardiff Business School (Reino Unido, 2011), Manchester Metropolitan University (Reino Unido, 2012), Universidad de Concepción (Chile, 2017) y Nazarbayev University (Kazajistán, 2022). Es autor de numerosos artículos científicos y ha participado en numerosos proyectos de I+D+i.

Encarna Borrero-Domínguez, Universidad de Huelva, Huelva, España

Encarna Borrero-Domínguez, estudiante de Psicología en la Universidad de Huelva y estancia en la Universidad de Barcelona (2022-2023). Actualmente se encuentra colaborando con el Departamento de Dirección de Empresas y Marketing investigando en temas relacionados con los comportamientos sociales en Internet, el comportamiento del consumidor y el emprendimiento, aplicando diversos modelos de ecuaciones estructurales.

Citas

Agbesi, S. (2020). Examining voters’ intention to use internet voting system: a case of Ghana. International Journal of Electronic Governance, 12(1), 57-75. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEG.2020.106997

Al-Adwan, A.S., Yaseen, H., Alsoud, A., Abousweilem, F., & Al-Rahmi, W.M. (2022). Novel extension of the UTAUT model to understand continued usage intention of learning management systems: the role of learning tradition, Education and Information Technologies, 27, 3567-3593. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10758-y

Barrett, M. & Pachi, D. (2019). Youth Civic and Political Engagement. Taylor & Francis.

Barrett, M. & Brunton-Smith, I. (2014). Political and Civic Engagement and Participation: Towards an Integrative Perspective. Journal of Civil Society, 10(1), 5-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2013.871911

Bäuerle, A., Frewer, A.-L., Rentrop, V., Schüren, L.C., Niedergethmann, M., Lortz, J., Skoda, E.-M., & Teufel, M. (2022). Determinants of Acceptance of Weight Management Applications in Overweight and Obese Individuals. Using an Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Model. Nutrients, 14(9), 1968. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091968

Bennett, W. L. & Segerberg, A. (2012). The Logic of Connective Action. Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), 739-768. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.670661

Bhuiyan, M. B., Islam, M. A., Haque, M. Z. & Biswas, C. (2021). Moderating effect of technology readiness on adoption of geotagging technology among social networking sites (SNSS) users for smart tourism. Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites, 34(1), 47-55. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.34107-618

Borrero, J. D., Yousafzai. S., Javed, U., & Page, K. L. (2014a): Expressive participation in Internet social movements: Testing the moderating effect of technology readiness and sex on student SMP use, Computers in Human Behavior, 30, 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.07.032

Borrero, J. D., Yousafzai, S. Y., Javed, U., & Page, K. L. (2014b). Perceived Value of Social Networking Sites (SNS) in Students’ Expressive Participation in Social Movements. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8(1), 56-78. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-03-2013-0015

Bouchillon, B. C. (2018). Patching the Melting Pot. Sociability in Facebook Groups for Engagement, Trust, and Perceptions of Difference, Social Science Computer Review, 37(5), 611-630. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439318791241

Boulianne, S. (2020). Twenty Years of Digital Media Effects on Civic and Political Participation, Communication Research, 47(7), 947–966. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650218808186

Boulianne, S., Copeland, L., & Koc-Michalska, K. (2022). Digital media and political consumerism in the United States, United Kingdom, and France, New Media and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221083025

Boulianne, S. & Theocharis, Y. (2020). Young People, Digital Media, and Engagement. A Meta-Analysis of Research, Social Science Computer Review, 38(2), 111-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439318814190

Cai, Y. & Marks, D. (2021). Photovoice in the age of social media. Helping to build participation needed for urban climate resilience? Urban Climate, 40, 01019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2021.101019

Caliskan, O. (2021). Digital Pride on the Streets of the Internet. Facebook and Twitter Practices of the LGBTI Movement in Turkey, Sexuality and Culture, 25, 1447-1468. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09818-9

Calvo, D. (2022). Free software meets Facebook. Placing digital platforms’ usage by free culture communities, New Media and Society, 24(5), 1076-1096. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820971629

Chan, M. (2016). Social Network Sites and Political Engagement. Exploring the Impact of Facebook Connections and Uses on Political Protest and Participation, Mass Communication and Society, 19(4), 430-451. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2016.1161803

Chen, J. (2017). Can online social networks foster young adults’ civic engagement? Telematics and Informatics, 34(5), 487-497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.09.013

Conroy, M., Feezell, J. T., & Guerrero, M. (2012). Facebook and Political Engagement. A Study of Online Political Group Membership and Offline Political Engagement. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(5), 1535-1546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.03.012

de-la-Garza-Montemayor, D., Peña-Ramos, J., & Recuero-López, F. (2019). La participación política online de los jóvenes en México, España y Chile (Online political participation of young people in Mexico, Spain and Chile). Comunicar, 61, 83-92. https://doi.org/10.3916/C61-2019-07

Dijkstra, T. K. & Henseler, J. (2015). Consistent Partial Least Squares Path Modeling. MIS Quarterly, 39(2), 297-316. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2015/39.2.02

Dixon, S. J. (2023a, August 29). Facebook: distribution of global audiences 2023, by age and gender. Statista. https://bit.ly/3hjQLrE (accessed 29 October, 2023)

Dixon, S. J. (2023b, October 9). Social media usage in Europe - Statistics & Facts. Statista. Extracted from https://www.statista.com/topics/4106/social-media-usage-in-europe/#topicHeader__wrapper (accessed 29 October 2023)

Dogra, P. & Kaushal, A. (2021). An Investigation of Indian Generation Z Adoption of the Voice-Based Assistants (VBA). Journal of Promotion Management, 27(5), 673-696. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2021.1880519

Ekman, J. & Amnå, E. (2012). Political participation and civic engagement. towards a new typology. Human Affairs, 22, 283-300. https://doi.org/10.2478/s13374-012-0024-1

Elareshi, M., Habes, M., Youssef, E., Salloum, S. A., Alfaisal, R. & Ziani, A. (2022). SEM-ANN-based approach to understanding students’ academic-performance adoption of YouTube for learning during Covid. Heliyon, 8(4), e09236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09236

Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook Friends. Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143-1168.

Ferrucci, P., Hopp, T., & Vargo, C. J. (2020). Civic engagement, social capital, and ideological extremity. Exploring online political engagement and political expression on Facebook. New Media and Society, 22(6), 1095-1115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819873110

Fornell, C. & Larcker, D. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104

Gaby, S. (2017). The Civic Engagement Gap(s): Youth Participation and Inequality from 1976 to 2009. Youth & Society, 49(7), 923-946. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X16678155

Gil De Zúniga, H. G., Barnidge, M. & Scherman, A. (2017). Social media social capital, offline social capital, and citizenship. Exploring asymmetrical social capital effects. Political Communication, 34(1), 44–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2016.1227000

Gil de Zúñiga, H. G., Jung, N., & Valenzuela, S. (2012). Social Media Use for News and Individuals' Social Capital, Civic Engagement and Political Participation, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17(3), 319-336. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2012.01574.x

Gümüsay, A. A., Raynard, M., Albu, O., Etter, M., & Roulet, T. (2022). Digital Technology and Voice. How Platforms Shape Institutional Processes Through Visibilization. In T. Gegenhuber, D. Logue, C. R. Hinings, & M. Barrett (Eds.), Digital Transformation and Institutional Theory (Vol. 83) (pp. 57-85). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Hair, J. F, Black, W .C, Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate Data Analysis. Global Edition (7th ed.). Pearson Education.

Hair, J. F., Matthews, L. M., Matthews, R. L., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). PLS-SEM or CB-SEM. updated guidelines on which method to use. International Journal of Multivariate Data Analysis, 1(2), 107-123. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMDA.2017.087624

Hargittai, E. (2007). Whose Space? Differences among Users and Non-Users of Social Network Sites, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 276-297. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00396.x

Harlow, S. (2012). Social media and social movements. Facebook and online Guatemalan justice movement that moved offline. New Media & Society, 14(2), 225-243. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444811410408

Haro-de-Rosario, A., Sáez-Martín, A. & Caba-Pérez, M.C. (2016). Using social media to enhance citizen engagement with local government. Twitter or Facebook? New Media & Society, 20(1), 29-40. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816645652

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sinkovics, R. R (2009). The use de partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. In R. R. Sinkovics & P. N. Ghauri (Eds.), New Challenges to International Marketing (Vol. 20) (pp. 277-320). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-7979(2009)0000020014

Hong, H. & Kim, Y. (2020). What makes people engage in civic activism on social media? Online Information Review, 45(3), 562-576. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-03-2020-0105

Kaur, A., Ahuja, P., Jain, J., Singh, S., & Garg, A. (2022). Is Youth Ready for the Looming Technology Frontier in Healthcare? Examining Intentions and Adoptionof Mobile Health (mHealth). Business Perspectives and Research, 11(1), 63-80. https://doi.org/10.1177/22785337221091017

Kilybayeva, S. & Nurshanov, A. (2020). The impact of social media on Kazakhstani youth’s political behavior. Central Asia and the Caucasus, 21(3), 46-57. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=43961039

Kim, N., Duffy, A., Tandoc Jr, E. C., & Ling, R. (2022). All News Is Not the Same. Divergent Effects of News Platforms on Civic and Political Participation. International Journal of Communication, 16, 1148-1168. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/17302

Kim, Y., Russo, S., & Amnå, E. (2016). The longitudinal relation between online and offline political participation among youth at two different developmental stages. New Media & Society, 19(6), 899-917. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815624181

Kittredge, R. E. (2022). Hashtag activism in the advancement of social change. An examination of the# metoo movement and its techno-social implications (Master’s thesis, Kansas State University). https://hdl.handle.net/2097/42181

Klein, O. & Muis, J. (2019). Online discontent. comparing Western European far-right groups on Facebook, European Societies, 21(4), 540-562. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2018.1494293

Kunst, J. R., Bailey, A., Prendergast, C., & Gundersen, A. (2019). Sexism, rape myths and feminist identification explain gender differences in attitudes toward the #metoo social media campaign in two countries. Media Psychology, 22(5), 818-843. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2018.1532300

Lemay, D. J., Doleck, T., & Bazelais, P. (2019). Context and technology use: Opportunities and challenges of the situated perspective in technology acceptance research. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(5), 2450-2465. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12859

Lenzi, M., Vieno, A., Altoè, Scacchi, L., Perkins, D. D., Zukauskiene, R., & Santinello, M. (2015). Can Facebook Informational Use Foster Adolescent Civic Engagement? American Journal Community Psychology, 55(3-4), 444–454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-015-9723-1

Loader, B. D., Vromen, A., & Xenos, M. A. (2014). The networked young citizen: social media, political participation and civic engagement. Information, Communication & Society, 17(2), 143-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2013.871571

Lonkila, M. & Jokivuori, P. (2022). Sharing and liking as youth nano-level participation. Finnish students’ civic and political engagement in social media. Journal of Youth Studies, 26(6), 803-820. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2022.2049731

Masip, P., Ruiz-Caballero, C., Suau, J., & Puertas, D. (2020). Media and Twitter Agendas for Social Mobilizations. The Case of the Protests in Defense of the Public Healthcare System in Spain, International Journal of Communication, 14, 3355-3376. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/9022

Matenda, S., Naidoo, G. M., & Rugbeer, H. (2021). The role of social media in youth civic engagement practices in the eastern cape. Journal of African Films and Diaspora Studies, 3(2), 25-42. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-aa_jafdis_v3_i2_a3

McInroy, L. B., McCloskey, R. J., Craig, S. L., & Eaton, A.D. (2019). LGBTQ+ Youths’ Community Engagement and Resource Seeking Online versus Offline. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 37(4), 315-333. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2019.1617823

Mohd Suki, N., Mohd Suki, N., & Hussin Shokri, M.F. (2022). Examining youths’ intention to use social media networks for understanding zakat online campaigns that use creative animation. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 14(7), 1696-1714. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-09-2021-0288

Naranjo-Zolotov, M., Oliveira, T., Cruz-Jesus, F., Martins, J., Gonçalves, R., Branco, F., & Xavier, N. (2019). Examining social capital and individual motivators to explain the adoption of online citizen participation, Future Generation Computer Systems, 92, 302-311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2018.09.044

Newman, N., Fletcher. R., Schulz, A., Andi, S. Robertson, C. T., & Nielsen, R. K. (2021). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021 (10th ed.). Reuters Institute. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-06/Digital_News_Report_2021_FINAL.pdf

Nunnally, J. & Bernstein, I. (1994). Psychometric Theory (3d ed.). McGraw-Hill

Olamijuwon, E. & Odimegwu, C. (2021). Sexuality Education in the Digital Age. Modelling the Predictors of Acceptance and Behavioural Intention to Access and Interact with Sexuality Information on Social Media. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 19, 1241-1254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00619-1

Oser, J., Hooghe, M., & Marien, S. (2013). Is Online Participation Distinct from Offline Participation? A Latent Class Analysis of Participation Types and Their Stratification. Political Research Quarterly, 66(1), 91-101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912912436695

Ostrander, S. A. (2004). Democracy, Civic Participation, and the University: A Comparative Study of Civic Engagement on Five Campuses. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 33(1), 74-93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764003260588

Park, C. S. & Kaye, B. K. (2017). The tweet goes on. interconnection of Twitter opinion leadership, network size, and civic engagement, Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 174-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.021

Piatak, J. & Mikkelsen, I. (2021). Does Social Media Engagement Translate to Civic Engagement Offline? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 50(5), 1079-1101. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764021999444

Puriwat, W. & Tripopsakul, S. (2021). Understanding Food Delivery Mobile Application Technology Adoption. A UTAUT Model Integrating Perceived Fear of COVID-19. Emerging Science Journal, 5, 94-104. https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2021-SPER-08

Rodríguez-Suárez, J., Morán-Neches, L., & Herrero-Olaizola, J. (2021). Investigación en red, nuevos lenguajes y simbologías del activismo digital. Una revisión sistemática (Online research, new languages and symbolism of digital activism. A systematic review). Comunicar, 68, 47-58. https://doi.org/10.3916/C68-2021-04

Rojas, H. & Puig-i-Abril, E. (2009). Mobilizers Mobilized. Information, Expression, Mobilization and Participation in the Digital Age. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(4), 902–927. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01475.x

Smith, G. & Halafoff, A. (2020). Multifaith Third Spaces. Digital Activism, Netpeace, and the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change. Religions, 11(3), 105. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11030105

Smith, N. & Graham, T. (2019). Mapping the anti-vaccination movement on Facebook. Information, Communication & Society, 22(9), 1310-1327. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1418406

Tarman, B. & Kilinc, E. (2022). Predicting High School Students’ Global Civic Engagement. A Multiple Regression Analysis, Journal of Social Studies Research, 47(1), 56-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssr.2022.02.001

Theocharis, Y., Boulianne, S., Koc-Michalska, K., & Bimber, B. (2022). Platform affordances and political participation. how social media reshape political engagement, West European Politics, 46(4), 788-811. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2022.2087410

Valenzuela, S., Park, N., & Kee, K. F. (2009). Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site? Facebook Use and College Students’ Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(4), 875–901. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01474.x

Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis F. D. (2003). User Acceptance of Information Technology. Toward a Unified View. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540

Vesnic-Alujevic, L. (2012). Political participation and Web 2.0 in Europe. A case study of Facebook. Public Relations Review, 38(3), 466-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.01.010

Vinnikova, A., Lu, L., Wei, J., Fang, G., & Yan, J. (2020). The Use of Smartphone Fitness Applications. The Role of Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207639

Walsh, S. & White, K. (2007). Me, my Mobile, and I. The Role of Self and Prototypical Identity Influences in the Prediction of Mobile Phone Behavior, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 2405–2434. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2007.00264.x

Wang, H., Tao, D., Yu, N., & Qu, X. (2020). Understanding consumer acceptance of healthcare wearable devices. An integrated model of UTAUT and TTF. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 139, 104156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104156

Warren, A. M., Sulaiman, A., & Jaafar N.I. (2015). Understanding civic engagement behaviour on Facebook from a social capital theory perspective. Behaviour & Information Technology, 34(2), 163-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2014.934290

Yazdani, N., Hoyt, L. T., Maker Castro, E., & Cohen, A.K. (2022). Sociopolitical Influences in Early Emerging Adult College Students’ Pandemic-Related Civic Engagement. Emerging Adulthood, 10(4), 1041-1047. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968221098296

Yuan, E., Feng, M., & Xiyuan, L. (2019). The R/evolution of civic engagement. an exploratory network analysis of the Facebook groups of occupy Chicago, Information, Communication & Society, 22(2), 267-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1371786

Descargas

Publicado

2024-01-18

Cómo citar

Borrero, J. D., & Borrero-Domínguez, E. (2024). Fostering Active Citizenship: Facebook’s Role in Youth Civic Engagement . Cuadernos.Info, (57), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.7764/cdi.57.63423