Spill-Over Effects Between Facebook and On/Offline Political Participation? Evidence from a Two-Wave Panel Study

Abstract

This article examines the medium-specific and spill-over effects from various aspects of using social networking sites (SNS) to other forms of online and offline political participation. The study relies on a two-wave panel survey of undergraduate students at a major Canadian university, which was designed to measure detailed aspects of political participation on social networking sites (SNS) and various other forms of political engagement. Our results show that prior political Facebook participation fosters other forms of online participation, but also reveals some spill-over effects to offline protests. Indeed, we find a reciprocal relationship between the posting of Facebook messages and offline protest, confirming that Facebook political activity is both mobilizing and reinforcing.