Does Internet Use Affect Engagement? A Meta-Analysis of Research

Shelley Boulianne

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Social Media and Politics Electoral Systems and Political Participation Media Influence and Politics

Abstract

Scholars disagree about the impact of the Internet on civic and political engagement. Some scholars argue that Internet use will contribute to civic decline, whereas other scholars view the Internet as having a role to play in reinvigorating civic life. This article assesses the hypothesis that Internet use will contribute to declines in civic life. It also assesses whether Internet use has any significant effect on engagement. A meta-analysis approach to current research in this area is used. In total, 38 studies with 166 effects are examined. The meta-data provide strong evidence against the Internet having a negative effect on engagement. However, the meta-data do not establish that Internet use will have a substantial impact on engagement. The effects of Internet use on engagement seem to increase nonmonotonically across time, and the effects are larger when online news is used to measure Internet use, compared to other measures.

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References

2000Bowling alone: the collapse and revival of American community 2000Practical Meta-Analysis 1994Designing Social Inquiry 1998Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being?1995Tuning In, Tuning Out: The Strange Disappearance of Social Capital in America 2001Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community 2002Digital divide: civic engagement, information poverty, and the Internet worldwide 2001Digital Divide

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2015Social media use and participation: a meta-analysis of current research 2019Fact-Checking: A Meta-Analysis of What Works and for Whom 2013Unpacking the Use of Social Media for Protest Behavior 2011Good News for the Future? Young People, Internet Use, and Political Participation 2015Media Effects: Theory and Research 2011The Effects of Digital Media on Political Knowledge and Participation in Election Campaigns

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