Political Involvement in “Mobilized” Society: The Interactive Relationships Among Mobile Communication,Network Characteristics,and Political Participation

In recent years, mobile communication has emerged as a channel for political discourse among network ties. Although some celebrate new possibilities for political life, others are concerned that it can lead to network insularity and political detachment. This study examined how mobile‐mediated discourse with strong ties interacts with characteristics of those ties to predict levels of political participation. Findings revealed that mobile‐based discourse is positively associated with political participation, but that this relationship is moderated by the size and heterogeneity of one's network. Participation increases with use of the technology in large networks of like‐minded individuals, but declines with use of the technology in homogeneous networks that are small. Implications and future research considerations are offered in the discussion.     

The influence of online forum and SNS use on online political discussion in China: Assessing “Spirals of Trust”

Echoing the significance of mobile online networks in fueling the Arab Spring, the present study seeks to better understand social media influences in China by studying political activity among Chinese netizens. A survey of Chinese college students examines the influence of online social networks in the context of political attitudes and political participation. Study results reveal a moderate but positive impact of online forum and social networking site use on online political discussion. Implications for political change in the social networking era, particularly in regimes that practice Internet censorship like China’s, are discussed.     

Influence of Social Media Use on Discussion Network Heterogeneity and Civic Engagement: The Moderating Role of Personality Traits

Using original national survey data, we examine how social media use affects individuals' discussion network heterogeneity and their level of civic engagement. We also investigate the moderating role of personality traits (i.e., extraversion and openness to experiences) in this association. Results support the notion that use of social media contributes to heterogeneity of discussion networks and activities in civic life. More importantly, personality traits such as extraversion and openness to experiences were found to moderate the influence of social media on discussion network heterogeneity and civic participation, indicating that the contributing role of social media in increasing network heterogeneity and civic engagement is greater for introverted and less open individuals.     

"Carrying Online Participation Offline"—Mobilization by Radical Online Groups and Politically Dissimilar Offline Ties

This study analyzes survey data obtained from members in neo-Nazi and environmentalist discussion forums. It assesses the links between participation in radical and ideologically homogeneous online groups and two forms of political engagement (Movement Support and Movement Promotion). This study also tests whether perceived political dissimilarity of offline friends and family (core ties) and of more distant interpersonal associates (significant ties) encourages or thwarts political engagement and whether it moderates the influence exerted by online groups. As expected, political engagement among the analyzed respondents increases with online participation, also controlling for extremism, political discussion and news media use. Although dissimilar core ties neither encourage nor discourage political engagement, they moderate the mobilizing influence from neo-Nazi and radical environmentalist online groups. Dissimilar significant ties, in turn, do not directly affect political engagement and do not interact with online participation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Online Groups and Political Discourse: Do Online Discussion Spaces Facilitate Exposure to Political Disagreement?

To what extent do online discussion spaces expose participants to political talk and to cross‐cutting political views in particular? Drawing on a representative national sample of over 1000 Americans reporting participation in chat rooms or message boards, we examine the types of online discussion spaces that create opportunities for cross‐cutting political exchanges. Our findings suggest that the potential for deliberation occurs primarily in online groups where politics comes up only incidentally, but is not the central purpose of the discussion space. We discuss the implications of our findings for the contributions of the Internet to cross‐cutting political discourse.     

Political disagreement and ambivalence in new information environment: Exploring conditional indirect effects of partisan news use and heterogeneous discussion networks on SNSs on political participation

This study investigates the (de)mobilizing influences of political (dis)agreement in the news and in political discussion on political attitudes and participation in new information environments. Results demonstrate the mediating functions of political ambivalence in that exposure to proattitudinal news reduces ambivalence and thereby promotes political participation, whereas exposure to counter-attitudinal news increases ambivalence and thereby discourages participation. Importantly, the effect of exposure to counter-attitudinal news on ambivalence was moderated by heterogeneous discussion networks on social network sites, such that the combination of exposure to counter-attitudinal news and to heterogeneous discussion networks amplifies ambivalence additively, and thereby augments the tendency toward demobilization. These results are interpreted as suggesting that changing media contexts may lead to complex roles of news and political discussion.     

The impact of online user-generated satire on young people’s political attitudes: Testing the moderating role of knowledge and discussion

This study examines the impact of online user-generated satirical content on young people’s political attitudes in the case of the 2012 Chief Executive election in Hong Kong. During the election, the unpopularity of the candidates and several candidate-related scandals led to the proliferation of online user-generated satire. This study asks whether exposure to such content affected young people’s candidate evaluations. More important, it examines whether online satire exposure also influenced attitude toward the electoral system. It is further hypothesized that political knowledge and interpersonal discussion may facilitate processes of elaboration that allow people to develop critiques of the electoral system based on the candidate-centered satire. Analysis of a survey on university students finds that online satire exposure did relate significantly to candidate evaluation, while a positive relationship between online satire exposure and critical attitude toward the electoral system exists among respondents who discussed the election with others. Contrary to expectation, ability to identify individual politicians, a type of political knowledge, undermined the linkage between online satire exposure and critical attitude toward the election.     

“MeshUp”: Self-organizing mesh-based topologies for next generation radio access networks

The phenomenal growth in wireless technologies has brought about a slew of new services. Incumbent with the new technology is the challenge of providing flexible, reconfigurable, self-organizing architectures which are capable of catering to the dynamics of the network, while providing cost-effective solutions for the service providers. In this paper, we focus on mesh-based multi-hop access network architectures for next generation radio access networks. Using short, high bandwidth optical wireless links to interconnect the various network elements, we propose a non-hierarchical, multi-hop access network framework. We study two generic family of mesh-based topologies: GPeterNet, a graph theoretic framework, and FraNtiC, a fractal geometric architecture, for arbitrary access network deployments. The performance of these topologies is analyzed in terms of different system metrics – topological robustness and reliability, system costs and network exposure due to failure conditions. Our analysis shows that a combination of different mesh-based multi-hop access topologies, coupled with emerging wireless backhaul technologies, can cater carrier-class services for next generation radio access networks, providing significant advantages over existing access technologies.     

Politically Motivated Reinforcement Seeking: Reframing the Selective Exposure Debate

This article seeks to reframe the selective exposure debate by demonstrating that people exhibit a preference for opinion‐reinforcing political information without systematically avoiding opinion challenges. The results are based on data collected in a national random‐digit‐dial telephone survey (n = 1,510) conducted prior to the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Analyses show that Americans use the control afforded by online information sources to increase their exposure to opinions consistent with their own views without sacrificing contact with other opinions. This observation contradicts the common assumption that reinforcement seeking and challenge avoidance are intrinsically linked aspects of the selective exposure phenomenon. This distinction is important because the consequences of challenge avoidance are significantly more harmful to democratic deliberation than those of reinforcement seeking.     

Reinforcement of the Political Self Through Selective Exposure to Political Messages

The idea that recipients prefer messages that reinforce preexisting attitudes and self‐perceptions has pervaded much communication research, but effects of selective exposure are rarely examined. This 2‐session experiment (n = 157) investigates such effects. The first session presented computerized questions on 12 political issue attitudes and political self‐concept. Accessibility data were collected based on response times. In the second session, participants browsed through an online magazine including 4 of the 12 issues, each issue being covered by 2 articles featuring opposing viewpoints. Selective exposure was logged and categorized as attitude‐consistent or counterattitudinal. Finally, a questionnaire repeated measures for attitudes and self‐concept. The results show that participants preferred attitude‐consistent over counterattitudinal messages, which strengthened the political self‐concept through increased accessibility.     

Democracy Based on Difference: Examining the Links Between Structural Heterogeneity, Heterogeneity of Discussion Networks, and Democratic Citizenship

This study explores the direct and indirect links between structural heterogeneity, network heterogeneity, and political participation. We review the often conflicting scholarship on discussion network heterogeneity and political participation and place it within a multilevel conceptual framework of heterogeneity. Based on this integrated theoretical model, our study uses a combination of macro-level and individual-level survey data from various sources. First, we use a cross-sectional national data set, based on a telephone survey with a probability sample of almost 800 adults. Second, we combine these individual-level data with county-level data on religious, political, and racial heterogeneity. Based on these data sets, we develop a path model linking structure, context, and networks into an integrated pathway to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of heterogeneity on political participation. Our results show positive links between structural and network heterogeneity that are both direct and indirect, that is, mediated through various communication processes.     

Clicks,Cabs, and Coffee Houses: Social Media and Oppositional Movements in Egypt, 2004–2011

To deepen our understanding of the relationship between social media and political change during the Egyptian uprising of early 2011, events in Tahrir Square must be situated in a larger context of media use and recent history of online activism. For several years, the most successful social movements in Egypt, including Kefaya, the April 6th Youth, and We are all Khaled Said, were those using social media to expand networks of disaffected Egyptians, broker relations between activists, and globalize the resources and reach of opposition leaders. Social media afforded these opposition leaders the means to shape repertoires of contention, frame the issues, propagate unifying symbols, and transform online activism into offline protests.     

Turn a Blind Eye If You Care: Impacts of Attitude Consistency,Importance, and Credibility on Seeking of Political Information and Implications for Attitudes

Abundant media outlets allow for much diversity of political messages and selective use among citizens. A 2‐session online field study examined impacts of attitude consistency, attitude importance, and source credibility on selective exposure to political messages and subsequent attitude accessibility. The first session assessed attitudes and their accessibility. In the second session, participants browsed online search results that featured attitude‐consistent and attitude‐discrepant messages associated with sources of either high or low credibility; selective reading was tracked. Then attitude accessibility was measured again. Participants spent less time with attitude‐discrepant messages compared to attitude‐consistent messages; this pattern was particularly pronounced among participants with higher attitude importance. Low importance fostered exposure to high‐credibility messages. Exposure to attitude‐discrepant, high‐credibility messages reduced attitude accessibility.     

How does Facebook news use lead to actions in South Korea? The role of Facebook discussion network heterogeneity,political interest,and conflict avoidance in predicting political participation

Employing survey data collected in South Korea (N?=?470), this study investigated whether and how Facebook users’ news use promotes their offline political participation. Results showed that Facebook news use indirectly influenced political participation through discussion network heterogeneity. This indirect relationship was conditional on Facebook users’ political interest and conflict avoidance. For people who are highly interested in politics but less conflict avoidant, the frequency of Facebook news use is more likely to boost political discussions with heterogeneous others, which contributes to facilitating their participation in offline political activities. The implications of these results were discussed.     

Design alternatives for <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-stage WDM optical planar permutation networks

Planar permutation networks are a class of multistage switching networks with no crossover between paths that interconnect switching elements. A well-known class of planar networks is the N−Stage network that provides a good compromise between the crossbar and the Benes network. In this paper, we address the problem of designing cost-effective N-Stage optical planar networks with space-wavelength switching capability. Such networks are used for switching in communication and computing systems that employ Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) technology. We investigate two classes of space-wavelength N-stage planar networks, and for each class, we design a number of switching networks and analyze their hardware complexity. In addition, we propose a new method for designing a class of space-wavelength planar networks with reduced complexity. It is shown that, for F ≤  W (where F is the total number of fibers and W that of wavelengths) the proposed method results in planar networks with an average of 67% reduction in overall cost compared to that of networks based on fixed-range wavelength converters.     

Campaign Ads, Online Messaging, and Participation: Extending the Communication Mediation Model

Political communication researchers have devoted a great deal of attention to the role of political advertising, the Internet, and political discussion in civic and political life. In this article, we integrate and extend this research by developing a campaign communication mediation model of civic and campaign participation. Two data sets are merged for this inquiry: (a) content-coded ad-buy data on the placement of campaign messages on a market-by-market and program-by-program basis and (b) a national panel study concerning patterns of traditional and digital media consumption and levels of civic and campaign participation. Exposure to televised campaign advertising is estimated by developing an algorithm based on the market and program placement of specific ads and geocoded survey respondents' viewing of certain categories of television content in which these ads were concentrated. Structural equation models reveal that advertising exposure drives online news use in ways that complement conventional news influences on political discussion and political messaging. However, campaign exposure emphasizing "attack" messages appears to diminish information seeking motivations via broadcast and print media, yet only indirectly and weakly suppresses participation in civic and political life. Further, alternative specifications reveal that our original model produces the best fit, empirically and theoretically. We use these insights to propose an O-S-R-O-R (orientations-stimuli-reasoning-orientations-responses) framework as an alternative to the longstanding O-S-O-R model in communication and social psychology.     

Electrochemical Investigations of Polyethylene Glycol‐Based “Soggy Sand” Electrolytes – From the Local Mechanism to the Overall Conduction

Using the example of SiO₂ dispersions in LiClO₄/polyethylene glycol electrolytes, the conduction mechanism of “soggy sand” electrolytes is discussed. The study is essentially based on zeta potential, impedance and transference number measurements as well as on modeling. All the results can be explained by anion adsorption by the oxide particles and increased concentration of free Li⁺ in the double layer. The initially colloidal dispersion quickly forms fractal networks by cluster–cluster aggregation. Once they percolate, an interfacially dominated Li⁺ conductance is observed. The subsequent coarsening of the network is self‐decelerating leading to a steady state conductivity that is, for low volume fractions, enhanced compared to SiO₂ free electrolytes. At higher values, blocking and inhomogeneity effects (e.g., salt trapping) lead to decreased values of the overall conductivity.     

Networked Authoritarianism and Social Media in Azerbaijan

The diffusion of digital media does not always have democratic consequences. This mixed‐methods study examines how the government of Azerbaijan dissuaded Internet users from political activism. We examine how digital media were used for networked authoritarianism, a form of Internet control common in former Soviet states where manipulation over digitally mediated social networks is used more than outright censorship. Through a content analysis of 3 years of Azerbaijani media, a 2‐year structural equation model of the relationship between Internet use and attitudes toward protest, and interviews with Azerbaijani online activists, we find that the government has successfully dissuaded frequent Internet users from supporting protest and average Internet users from using social media for political purposes.     

Selecting Serious or Satirical,Supporting or Stirring News? Selective Exposure to Partisan versus Mockery News Online Videos

The present investigation combines cognitive dissonance theory with entertainment-education frameworks to study selection and effects of news. Selective exposure to satirical and partisan news was examined with online clips to test hypotheses on overcoming resistance to persuasive messages. An experiment (n = 146) presented news choices, varied in stance (conservative vs. liberal) and format (serious partisan news vs. satirical news). Results show political interest fosters selection of serious partisan news. Clips with partisan alignment were more frequently selected; only for the satirical news clips, Democrats did not exhibit such confirmation bias. Selecting satirical news affected internal political efficacy, and selecting online news clips induced attitude reinforcement according to message stance.     

Cross‐National Differences in Political Discussion: Can Political Systems Narrow Deliberation Gaps?

Even though many researchers devoted considerable attention to political discussion and its individual‐level antecedents and outcomes, insights are based on single‐country studies. Cross‐national variations were either never studied or implicitly equated to the U.S. context. This study integrates explanations from communication and comparative politics to test whether political system features (e.g., electoral competitiveness and multiple parties) affect the macrosupply of political information, and thus either amplify or diminish the effects of individual characteristics on discussion. Analyses of cross‐national data show system features correlate with greater discussion frequency and moderate the contribution of individual differences to discussion. The potential of systems to narrow gaps in mass public discussion and implications for future research are considered in conclusion.