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Can WeChat really foster young people's civic engagement? Unraveling an underlying mechanism from the social capital theoretical perspective

Hua Pang (School of New Media and Communication, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China)

Aslib Journal of Information Management

ISSN: 2050-3806

Article publication date: 27 January 2022

Issue publication date: 29 June 2023

393

Abstract

Purpose

Building upon social capital theoretical foundation, the principal purpose of present research is to construct a conceptual research model and uncover the intricate relationships between WeChat usage, social capital and civic participation behaviors among young people.

Design/methodology/approach

A large cross-sectional valid data from 1,238 young people in mainland China were gathered to examine the hypothesized research model. Descriptive analyses, correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were sequentially undertaken to determine dynamic interrelationships among main constructs.

Findings

The empirical findings demonstrate that WeChat usage positively impacts young people's social interaction ties, the guanxi network and shared goals. Moreover, social interaction ties and shared goals are positively associated with their online civic engagement. Furthermore, the guanxi network is positively associated with both online and offline civic engagement.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretically, this research is the first to explicitly explore the influence mechanism of WeChat use intensity on different dimensions of individual-level social capital and civic engagement. Practically, these obtained results can be beneficial to the comprehending of whether and how WeChat is a resource for social capital and civic involvement.

Originality/value

Despite mobile social media, especially WeChat, has achieved immense popularity in contemporary mainland China, the potential influence of this emerging technology use on individuals' differential dimensions of social capital and civic engagement has not been systematically investigated. The study may not only offer fresh insight into innovative features of WeChat but also contribute to broader controversies regarding the impact of mobile-mediated communication on individuals' daily civic lives.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Social Science Fund of China (Grant No. 19CXW035).

Citation

Pang, H. (2023), "Can WeChat really foster young people's civic engagement? Unraveling an underlying mechanism from the social capital theoretical perspective", Aslib Journal of Information Management, Vol. 75 No. 4, pp. 645-663. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-07-2021-0204

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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