Civic participation through social media : the role of social capital and civic efficacy.

This study investigates the role of social media in promoting civic participation and efficacy among Singaporeans, specifically examining the informational, entertainment and relational uses of these media. The concept of social capital – bridging and bonding – is used to explain the relationships. Findings are based on data collected through a random digit dialling (RDD) telephone survey of 1,141 Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents conducted in January 2012. Unlike past studies which focused more on traditional forms of organised engagement, this study includes measures of ‘soft’ engagement – informal forms – framed in a localized context. The results demonstrated associations between all three types of social media uses and civic participation. Additionally, only relational and informational uses of social media were predictors of bridging social capital. None of the social media uses predicted bonding social capital. Finally, only relational use was a predictor of civic efficacy. Mediation analyses revealed that bridging social capital mediated the relationship between social media use and civic efficacy, while civic efficacy mediated the relationship between both bridging and bonding social capital and civic participation. Implications of these findings are also discussed.Bachelor of Communication Studie