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Information and Expression in a Digital Age

Modeling Internet Effects on Civic Participation

University of Wisconsin-Madison, dshah{at}wisc.edu

Jaeho Cho

School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

William P. Eveland, JR.

Ohio State University

Nojin Kwak

Department of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan

This article examines the role of the Internet as a source of political information and a sphere for public expression. Informational media use, whether traditional news sources or online public affairs content, is expected to foster interpersonal political discussion and online civic messaging, contributing to increased civic participation. Using two-wave national panel survey data, three types of synchronous structural equation models are tested: cross sectional (relating individual differences), fixed effects (relating intraindividual change), and auto regressive (relating aggregate change). All models reveal that online media complement traditional media to foster political discussion and civic messaging. These two forms of political expression, in turn, influence civic participation. Other variable orderings are tested to compare the theorized model to alternative causal specifications. Results reveal that the model produces the best fit, empirically and theoretically, with the influence of the Internet, rivaling the mobilizing power of traditional modes of information and expression.

Key Words: civic engagement • computer-mediated communication • interpersonal discussion • media effects • political participation • social capital

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