The subtle nature of Facebook politics: Swedish social network site users and political participation
Author
Summary, in English
Sweden, with a high level of political participation and an avant-garde position regarding internet access, broadband and social media penetration in the population, is a critical case for studying social media in relation to political participation. Three types of users – members of political parties, members of interest organizations, and non-members – are interviewed in focus groups about their attitudes to political content in the social network site Facebook. The discussions show that although practices and attitudes vary, using social network sites alone does not drive previously inactive respondents to political participation. Respondents who are members of interest organizations view social network sites as valuable tools for participation, whereas respondents who are not refrain from sharing political views with their friends. They are exposed to political content and requests for participation, but prefer generally to remain passive.
Department/s
Publishing year
2012
Language
English
Pages
1111-1127
Publication/Series
New Media & Society
Volume
14
Issue
7
Full text
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Links
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Topic
- Political Science
Keywords
- Web 2.0
- social network sites
- social media
- political participation
- political mobilization
Status
Published
Project
- Viral politik. Politisk mobilisering i sociala medier
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1461-4448