political efficacy on the internet: a media system dependency approach
DESCRIPTION
[ Find out more and download the full study at: bit.ly/SFnunV and www.kateto.net ] Grounded in Media System Dependency theory, this study investigates the impact of new media on political efficacy. It suggests that dependence on online resources affects people's perceptions about the democratic potential of the Internet. Using structural equation modeling, the study tests the relationship between political attitudes and the perceived utility of the Web. The analysis employs measures that take into consideration the facilitating role of communication technologies. Results indicate that online political efficacy is associated with individual views about the comprehensiveness and credibility of new media. Efficacy is also linked to the perceived ability of online tools to aid the maintenance of ideologically homogenous social networks. The intensity of Internet dependency relations is found to be predicted by the perceived comprehensiveness – but not credibility – of online news.TRANSCRIPT
Katherine Ognyanova (Katya) USC Annenberg School of Communication [email protected], www.kateto.net
Political Efficacy on the Internet: A Media System Dependency Approach
(NCA 2012, Top Papers in Political Communication Panel)
Definition: The feeling that individual political action does have, or can have, an impact upon the political process, that is, that it is worthwhile to perform one's civic duties (Campbell, Gurin, and Miller, 1954)
Internal Efficacy: Feelings of personal competence to understand and to participate effectively in politics.
External Efficacy: The perceptions of the responsiveness of political bodies and actors to citizens' demands.
Polit
ical
Eff
icac
y
Political Efficacy
Political Efficacy and Internet Use
Efficacy and Internet use/exposure: • Theoretically predicted positive relationship • Inconsistent results: some studies find sizeable
effects, others – small or no effects.
Media, participation, and political efficacy: • Associated with news media use • Associated with media credibility • An important predictor of political participation
Internet and Efficacy: Resolving the Ambiguity
Use Internet-specific measures of political efficacy rather than generic ones (i.e. efficacy with regard to the medium)
MSD approach: look at Internet dependency rather than binary use/no use or measures looking at exposure (time spent online)
H1a: Internet dependency will predict Internet political efficacy. H1b: Dependency (vs. exposure) is a better predictor of efficacy.
Dependency, Exposure, and Political Efficacy
Political Efficacy
Internet Dependency
Internet Exposure
Internet Utility
Perceived utility of the medium
Information Utility: News Scope
Information Utility: News Credibility
Social Utility: Political Ties
Political Efficacy
Internet Dependency
Perceived utility of the medium
H2a: News scope → Internet Efficacy
H2b: News scope → Internet Dependency → Internet Efficacy
H3a: Perceived Credibility→ Internet Efficacy
H3b: Perceived Credibility → Internet Dependency → Internet Efficacy
H4a: Political Homophily → Internet Efficacy
H4b: Political Homophily → Internet Dependency → Internet Efficacy
Information Utility: News Scope
Information Utility: Perceived Credibility
Social Utility: Political Homophily
Dataset used in the analysis
Digital Future Study: Americans on the Internet
• Conducted April to August of 2010 • National RDD telephone sample (50 states + DC)
Digital Future Survey 2010: Protocol & Participants
• A total of 1926 respondents, age 12 and over • Internet users (86%) age 16 and over (n=1254)
Int
erne
t Eff
icac
y &
Dep
ende
ncy
Social Importance
Information Importance
Entertainment Importance
.47
.64
.75
ω = .75
Internet Dependency
Gives political power
Gives a say in government work
Helps understand politics
Makes public officials accessible
.84
.84
.61
.72
α = .84
Internet Efficacy
Mea
surin
g In
tern
et In
form
atio
n U
tility
Trustworthy, reliable sources
Intent for news is transparent
Watchdog for govt, business
High quality of news content
Fair and balanced coverage
.70
.75
.69
.75
.71
α = .86
Provides local news
Provides national news
Provides international news
Puts the news in context
News content is comprehensive
.81
.78
.74
.57
.79
α = .85
Information Utility: Online News Scope
Information Utility: Perceived Credibility
Political Ideology
Education
Age
Social Utility: Political Similarity
Information Utility: Online News Scope
Information Utility: Perceived Credibility
Political Efficacy Online
Internet Dependency
Internet Exposure (time online)
H3b
H2a
H1c
H2b
H3a H1a
H1b
H4b
H4a
Political Ideology
Education
Age
Social Utility: Political Similarity
Information Utility: Online News Scope
Information Utility: Perceived Credibility
Political Efficacy Online
Internet Dependency
Internet Exposure (time online)
.20
.20
.15
.14
.31
.01
.03
.10
.08
.12
-.25
.05
.06
.28
.17
-.15
.02
Model Fit: χ2 = 13.5 (p=.26 ) DF=11 RMSEA=0.01 GFI=1
.15
.14
.17
.01
.20
.31
.20
.28
.02
Direct, Indirect, and Total Effects
Direct effect on Dependency
Direct Effect on Efficacy
Indirect Effect on Efficacy
Total Effect on Efficacy
Social Utility .20 ** .15 ** .03 ** .18 **
Online News Scope .31 ** .14 ** .05 ** .19 **
Perceived Credibility .01 .20 ** .00 .21 **
Political Ideology .12 ** .08 ** .02 ** .10 **
Education .03 .10 * .01 .11 **
Age -.25 ** .06 -.04 ** .02 Internet Dependency --- .17 ** --- .17 **
*p < 0.05 **p < 0.01
Future Research
• Impact of Internet-specific political efficacy on online political engagement. 1
• More specific utility & dependency measures. • Measures based on production, not just consumption. 2 • More specific efficacy measures:
split internal and external efficacy items. 3 • Longitudinal Analysis: Dependency over time. • Environmental factors: uncertainty/ambiguity. 4 • Add selective exposure to media content to the model
(registered preference for political info seekers). 5
Contact Information: Katherine Ognyanova E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.kateto.net
Thank you!