Social Media, Culture and Politics in Asia (Frontiers in Political Communication)

The Internet’s explosive growth over the past decade is nowhere more visible than in Asia. Fueled by an expanding middle class, thousands of people connect to the Internet for the first time each day to explore and discuss issues that are relevant to them and their lives. This book provides an in-depth look at the impact of social media on political engagement among young citizens in this rapidly changing region of the world. Leading media scholars from nine Asian nations focus on three main questions: How frequently do Asians use social media to access and discuss political information? Does the use of social media increase political participation? What political, social and cultural factors influence the impact of social media on political engagement in each nation? To answer these questions, contributors first analyze the current state of social media in their nations and then present the findings of a cross-national survey on social media use that was conducted with over 3,500 Asian respondents. By employing a comparative approach, they analyze how social media function and interact with the cultural and political systems in each country – and how they might affect political engagement among individual citizens. Cover Contents Preface (Christine Ogan) References 1. Social Media, Culture, and Politics in Asia (Lars Willnat & Annette Aw) Social Media and Politics in Asia Structure of the Book Chapter Overviews Note Reference 2. Social Media and Political Participation: Review of the Literature (Jason Martin) Social Media's Political Significance Individual Factors Predicting Social Media Use Measuring Social Media Use and Political Participation Analyzing Social Media Platforms Youth and Social Media Effects on Political Participation Election Campaign Participation Political Protest Conclusion References Social Media and Political Participation in Asia 3. Social Media and Political Participation in China (Lu Wei) Online Media and Politics in China Social Media in China Microblogging in China Online Videos and Egao Political Impact of Social Media in China Economic Priority Political Censorship Social Stratification Youth Culture Survey Analysis Political Satisfaction and Confidence in Government Internet and Social Media Use Exposure to Traditional and Online News News from Alternative Media Platforms Attention to Politics and Discussion of Politics Offline and Online Political Participation Media Use and Political Participation Conclusion References 4. Hong Kong: Social Media and Political Participation in a "Protest Society" (Francis Lee) Internet and Political Participation in Hong Kong Social Factors Behind Social Media Use in Hong Kong Survey Analysis Political Satisfaction and Confidence in Government Internet and Social Media Use Exposure to Traditional and Online News News from Alternative Media Platforms Attention to Politics and Discussion of Politics Offline and Online Offline and Online Political Participation Social Media and Political Participation Conclusion Notes References 5. Social Media and Political Participation in Taiwan (Tsung-Jen Shih) The Internet in Taiwan Online News Social Media in Taiwan Political Changes in Taiwan Political Participation in Taiwan The Internet and Politics in Taiwan Online Media and the 2012 Presidential Election Social Factors Affecting Social Media Use and Political Participation Cultural Factors Affecting Social Media Use and Political Participation Survey Analysis Internet Use Traditional Media Use Use of Alternative Media Platforms Political Discussions Online and Offline Political Participation Conclusion References 6. New Media and Participatory Politics: The Case of South Korea (Jihyang Choi & Jae Woong Shim) Digital Media in Korea Digital Media and Korea's Political Landscape Political and Social Context Social Media in the 2012 Presidential Election: A Double-Edged Sword? Survey Analysis Political Satisfaction and Confidence in Government The Internet and Social Media Use Exposure to Traditional and Online News News from Other Media Platforms Attention to Politics and the Discussion of Politics Online and Offline Political Participation Media Use and Political Participation Conclusion Note References 7. Social Media and Political Participation in Japan (Toshio Takeshita, Shinichi Saito & Tetsuro Inaba) Internal in Japan Social Media in Japan Online Media and Political Participation in Japan Context of Online Media Use in Japan Political Constraints Social Constraints Cultural Constraints Survey Analysis Political Satisfaction and Confidence in Government Internet and Social Media Use Exposure to Traditional and Online News News from Other Media Platforms Attention to Politics and Discussion of Politics Offline and Online Offline and Online Political Participation Media Use and Political Participation Conclusions References 8. Social Media and Political Participation in Malaysia (Ezhar Tamam, Md. Salleh Hassan & Zohair Sabaghpour Azarian) A Brief Note About Malaysia Online Media in Malaysia News Websites Blogs Facebook Studies on Online and Social Media Studies of the 2008 General Election The Cultural, Social and Political Environment Political Factors Social Factors Cultural Factors Survey Analysis Method Political Satisfaction and Confidence in the Government Internet and Social Media Use Exposure to Traditional and Online News Exposure to Alternative Media Platforms Attention to Politics and Discussion of Politics Offline and Online Political Participation Media Use and Political Participation Conclusion References 9. Social Media and Political Participation in Singapore (Cherian George, Xiaoming Hao & Nainan Wen) Internal Access and Social Media Use in Singapore The Internal and Political Participation in Singapore Social Media and the 2011 Election Survey Analysis Political Satisfaction and Confidence in Government Internet, Social Media, and Traditional Media Use Political Discussion and Offline and Online Political Participation Media Use and Political Participation Conclusion References 10. Social Media and Political Participation in Thailand (Smith Boonchutima & Shuo Tang) Internet Access Mobile Phone Access Online News Social Media in Thailand Political Use of Social Media Press Freedom in Thailand The 1992 “Black May” Crises Rise and Fall of the Thaksin Government Freedom of Online Media Internet and Political Participation in Thailand Social Media and the 2010 Red Shirt Protests Survey Analysis Political Satisfaction and Confidence in Government Internet and Social Media Use Exposure to Traditional and Online News News from Alternative Media Platforms Attention to Politics and Discussion of Politics Offline and Online Offline and Online Political Participation Social Media and Political Participation Conclusion References 11. India Youth and Social Media: Modes of Engagement? (Usha Raman & Roshni Verghese) Indians on the Net Growth of Internet in India Profile of Indian Internet Users Mobile Phones Digital Divides Online Media and Indian Law News Media in India Getting Social on the Internet Diverse User Base The Internet and Political Engagement in India Survey Analysis Political Satisfaction Internet and Social Media Use Most Important News Source Alternative News Platforms Attention to News and Political Discussions Offline and Online Political Participation Predictors of Political Participation Conclusion Note References Comparative Survey Analysis 12. Social Media and Political Participation in Nine Asian Nations (Lars Willnat) Survey Method Survey Analysis General Satisfaction with Democracy and Trust in Government General Internet and Social Media Usage Exposure to Mainstream Media Offline and Online Political Discussions Public Affairs Knowledge Offline and Online Political Participation Associations Between Social Media Use and Political Participation Predictors of Online Political Participation Predictors of Offline Political Participation Civic Involvement News Media Use Political Social Media Use Predictors of Public Affairs Knowledge Civic Involvement News Media Use Political Social Media Use Conclusions References Conclusions 13. Conclusion (Lars Willnat & Annette Aw) What Can We Conclude? Summary of Cross-National Survey Findings Summary of Literature on Social Media and Political Participation in Asia China Hong Kong Taiwan Korea Singapore Malaysia Japan Thailand India References Appendix: Survey Questionnaire International Survey on Social Media Use in Asia Contributors Author Index Subject Index