Publication
Title
Designing and validating the Social Media Political Participation Scale : an instrument to measure political participation on social media
Author
Abstract
Social media have expanded citizens’ political repertoires with new modes of action. To measure these changing political practices, a new instrument, called the Social Media Political Participation Scale was developed and psychometrically tested. The instrument aims to capture both active, expressive forms of political action through social media as well as cognitive political social media use (e.g., sharing posts versus information seeking and acquiring). Based on a literature review and the recommendations of an expert panel, an item pool was generated. The second phase consisted of a questionnaire completed by 595 teenagers. The construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), as well as convergent validity and internal consistency. The analyses revealed four theoretically grounded constructs measured with 21 items: latent engagement, follower engagement, expressive engagement and counter engagement. As a validated instrument, the Social Media Political Participation Scale allows future research to gain a more profound insight into who is politically engaged and why, as well as how digital technologies are embedded in diverse forms of political action.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Technology in society. - New York, N.Y., 1979, currens
Publication
New York, N.Y. : Pergamon , 2021
ISSN
0160-791X [print]
1879-3274 [online]
DOI
10.1016/J.TECHSOC.2020.101493
Volume/pages
64 (2021) , p. 1-9
Article Reference
101493
ISI
000632468600001
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Trust and distrust in multi-level governance: causes, dynamics, and effects (GOVTRUST).
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 02.02.2021
Last edited 02.10.2024
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