Social Media Use for News and Individuals by Gil de Zuniga, Jung, and Valenzuela - Essay Example

The research question was whether the use of social network services may influence the democratic space in the society, by keeping individuals in the society updated and in place to contribute to important developments that affect their lives.

            The variables under investigation were the social capital and public engagement in public affairs, both of which are necessary for strengthening the responsiveness of civil societies and political institutions. These factors are necessary for maintaining healthy democracies in society. The research method was a direct survey using online questionnaires; respondents were asked questions regarding the use of social networks to obtain news and the effects that the news obtained had on their knowledge and participation in political issues. To increase the response rate, a monetary incentive was used; participants were entered into a draw where they could win monetary prizes.  The variables under investigation were social capital, offline political participation, civic participation, social-demographic variables, use of media news, use of social networks for news, and generally social network use. In each variable, respondents were asked questions regarding their behaviors in using social networks and the effects that these had on the respondents.

The research revealed that public use of news in social networks had a direct effect in increasing social capital significantly.  In other words, the use of social networks to keep up with news on issues affecting the community had a positive effect on the social capital. Moreover, the research revealed that the use of social network sites for news improved public participation in society, which led to increased participation in political discussions, online and offline. As such, people who get informed through social sites tended to participate more in issues affecting the community, with such participation leading to new information-seeking behavior.