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Roundtable: Media and Political Participation
Why do people participate in political and civic affairs--and what role do media play in determining levels of such participation? These are some of the oldest questions in communication research. They were first asked of radio in the 1930s, and an extensive literature addressing them has accumulated around every subsequent medium. Of course, as Dietram Scheufele notes in this issue's commentary, these literatures have been far from cohesive. Every one of them has fragmented along disciplinary, theoretical, and methodological lines. Recently, Scheufele has been at the forefront (along with many others) of an effort to assemble a more cohesive understanding of this relationship. In his commentary, he discusses some of the most important connections scholars are beginning to draw in this field.
Our roundtable this issue focues special attention on new media. Since the emergence of the Internet in the 1990s, scholars have paid increasing attention to this medium. As Scheufele notes, early research suggested that the Internet had limited effects on knowledge acquisition or political participation. However, recent research he has conducted implies a more tantalizing proposition, namely, that through hyperlinking, the Internet may help people develop more cohesive and integrated political views. Moreover, as a social medium, the Internet may stimulate interpersonal conversations that themselves become catalysts for civic participation.
William Eveland's work comparing across new and old media also suggests more complicated relationships. For instance, people who often read and contribute to blogs also exhibit high levels of newspaper consumption. The direction of the relationship is unclear. Regardless, the two together are associated with higher levels of political participation.
If this relationship holds, it perhaps bodes well for young people, who are avid consumers of online news and conversational sites like Myspace. As Diana Owen notes, when it comes to news consumption and political participation, young people have gotten a bad rap. The conventional wisdom among adults--and especially among political experts--is that young people are a lost generation; how lost--whether they will participate more later in life or remain forever apathetic--is unclear. Owen's work suggests that this reputation is undeserved. Levels of civic and political participation among young people are rising. This rise may be due to the presence of new media, or to the activities of youth organizations. But, Owen concludes, it is a clear pattern.
Patricia Moy's research suggests that new forms of television like The Daily Show may also be playing a role. She has demonstrated that high levels of consumption of such shows are correlated with strong effects in knowledge acquistion and willingness to participate. But she cautions that at some point more consumption can have adverse effects. Very high levels of TV news consumption, for instance, are associated with decreasing willingness and ability to deliberate about public issues.
In their efforts to untangle these relationships, Rabia Polat urges scholars to be cautious. She notes that themeaning of these relationships may vary by political and social context. Moreover, even if people acquire more political information via the Internet compared with older media, scholars have not yet developed a cohesive theory of the relationship between information and participation. As Moy shows, more information may lead to less participation. Finally, Polat reminds scholars that these processes are not taking place in a vacuum. The potential for a digitial divide to emerge--and the consequences of this divide--should receive close attention.
Together, these essays give us a great look at the most cutting edge research on an issue that has absorbed scholars' attention for several generations. I want to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to provide our readers a window into their research.
William Eveland, "New Media and Political Participation: Technology, Time, and Space."
Patricia Moy, "Communication and Citizenship: Differential Political Effects in an Evolving Media Landscape."
Diana Owen, "Youth Voting and the Media."
Rabia Karakaya Polat, "Can the Internet Increase Political Participation?"
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