Meeting Diversity and Democratic Engagement: Mobile Phone Usage

Patterns, Exposure to Heterogeneity and Civic Engagement Chang Sup

Park, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania This study, based on a survey
of 1,351 mobile phone users, investigates the relationships among patterns
of mobile phone use, exposure to heterogeneity, weak-tie networks, and
civic engagement. It finds that informational uses of mobile phones are
positively associated with civic engagement. Relational and recreational uses
have a null association with civic engagement. Using mobile phones for
informational or recreational purposes is significantly linked to meeting
diverse voices in mobile communication. The current study also finds that
both exposure to heterogeneity and weak-tie networks moderate the impact
of mobile phone use on civic engagement. This research indicates that even
using the mobile phone for non-informational purposes can result in
engagement in civic affairs if mobile phone users meet diversity frequently
and have large weak-tie contacts.

People Power and Media through the Eyes of Late Night Comedy Viewers
Edo Steinberg, Indiana University Using secondary data analysis of NAES
and Pew surveys from 2008 and 2012, this study examines the relationship
between watching late night comedy shows and trust in the media and
external efficacy. Total number of shows watched is positively correlated with
external efficacy and low evaluations of the media, but individual shows
relationship to these variables is complex. Furthermore, the paper argues
that The Daily Show promotes a constructive form of distrust in media.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Social Media and Civic Engagement: Results from a European Survey Josef
Seethaler, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Comparative Media
and Communication Studies; Maren Birgit Marina Beaufort There is
considerable controversy as to the effects of social media on political
participation. Drawing on Bennett and Segerbergs concept of connective
action, which contrary to collective action puts more emphasis on civic
engagement as an act of personal expression, the study analyzes the
relationship between media use and various forms of political participation
across 15 European countries. Results indicate a notable switch from
collective to connective forms of participation, particularly among people
under 40.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Look Whos Writing: How Gender Affects News Credibility and Perceptions of
Issue Importance Newly Paul; Mingxiao Sui; Kathleen Searles, Louisiana
State University Studies indicate that women reporters are
underrepresented in newsrooms and assigned to gender-stereotypic roles. In
this paper, we explore how women journalists can make a difference in a
gendered newsroom. Using an experiment, we examine how gender affects
readers perceptions about: a reporters credibility, a news outlets
credibility, and importance of the issue being written about. Results indicate
that readers consider womens issues important, but reporters who deviate
from their gender-stereotypic roles are evaluated negatively. Readers
gender perceptions, however, do not affect the credibility of the news outlet.
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