媒介對公民參與的作用：比較互聯網和傳統媒體

How the Media Influence Civic Engagement: A Comparison of the Internet and Conventional Media

鍾智錦(Zhi-Jin ZHONG) ； 李艶紅(Yanhong LI) ； 曾繁旭(Fanxu ZENG)

《傳播與社會學刊》 28期 (2014/04) Pp. 95-119

https://doi.org/10.30180/CS.201404_(28).0005

摘要

本研究對廣州市10所高校大學生的隨機抽樣調查（n=1,017），旨在比較傳統媒介和互聯網對公民參與的作用。研究發現，閱讀報紙和雜誌對虛擬和真實世界中的公民參與都有顯著的積極影響。看電視和聽廣播的作用均不顯著。在複雜的網絡使用中，收發郵件和上社交網站能夠促進大學生進行在綫和綫下公民參與，說明互聯網的主要作用在於傳遞信息、構建輿論和組織集體行動。但是，政治效能度和互聯網自我效能度對公民參與的預測能力比媒介更強大。

關鍵字

媒體 ； 互聯網 ； 公民參與 ； 政治自我效能度 ； 互聯網自我效能度

並列摘要

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of traditional media and the Internet (new media) on civic engagement. Four research questions and two hypotheses are posed. The research questions are: 1) Do conventional media and the new media differ in their influences on civic engagement? 2) Which types of Internet usage have an impact on civic engagement? 3) Does Internet self-efficacy play a moderating role in the relationship between Internet and social capital? Specifically, is it possible that users with high Internet self-efficacy are more likely to utilize the Internet for civic participation? 4) Does political self-efficacy play a moderating role in the relationship between Internet and social capital? Specifically, is it possible that people with high political self-efficacy are more likely to utilize the Internet for civic participation? The two corresponding hypotheses are: 1) Internet self-efficacy is positively related to online civic engagement. 2) Political self-efficacy is positively related to online and offline civic engagement. To answer the research questions and test the hypotheses, this study included a stratified random sampling of college students from ten universities in Guangzhou, the largest city in southern China. The sample size was 1017. The results of the data analysis show that conventional and new media exert different impacts on civic engagement. Reading newspapers and magazines significantly enhance online and offline civic engagement, while the effects of watching TV and listening to the radio are not significant. This implies that TV and broadcast might no longer serve as civic educators, while print media still plays an important role in fostering civic awareness and behaviors. Among the various types of Internet use, exchanging e-mails and using simple notification services (SNSs) have a significant positive impact on online and offline civic engagement. The effects of other types of Internet use are not significant. The implication of these findings is that the primary influence of the Internet on civic engagement is rooted in the functions of information dissemination, influencing public opinion, and organizing collective actions; that is, social Internet use could enhance civic engagement. However, the effect size of media (including conventional and new) is limited compared to the psychological antecedents of civic engagement. College students' political self-efficacy is a powerful predictor of civic engagement; their Internet self-efficacy is positively related to online engagement. The moderating effects of political and Internet efficacies on the relationship between Internet use and civic engagement are not significant, which suggests that the civic impact of the Internet does not depend on people's political efficacies and Internet skills.

並列關鍵字

Internet ； media ； civic engagement ； political efficacy ； Internet efficacy