Inspiring and informing citizens online: A media richness analysis of varied civic education modalities
DL Brinker, J Gastil, RC Richards - Journal of Computer …, 2015 - academic.oup.com
DL Brinker, J Gastil, RC Richards
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2015•academic.oup.comPublic deliberation on the Internet is a promising but unproven practice. Online deliberation
can engage large numbers of citizens at relatively low cost, but it is unclear whether such
programs have substantial civic impact. One factor in determining their effectiveness may be
the communicative features of the online setting in which they occur. Within a Media
Richness Theory framework, we conducted a quasiexperiment to assess the civic outcomes
of interventions executed online by nonprofit organizations prior to the 2012 US presidential …
can engage large numbers of citizens at relatively low cost, but it is unclear whether such
programs have substantial civic impact. One factor in determining their effectiveness may be
the communicative features of the online setting in which they occur. Within a Media
Richness Theory framework, we conducted a quasiexperiment to assess the civic outcomes
of interventions executed online by nonprofit organizations prior to the 2012 US presidential …
Abstract
Public deliberation on the Internet is a promising but unproven practice. Online deliberation can engage large numbers of citizens at relatively low cost, but it is unclear whether such programs have substantial civic impact. One factor in determining their effectiveness may be the communicative features of the online setting in which they occur. Within a Media Richness Theory framework, we conducted a quasiexperiment to assess the civic outcomes of interventions executed online by nonprofit organizations prior to the 2012 U.S. presidential election. The results assess the impact of these interventions on issue knowledge and civic attitudes. Comparisons of the interventions illustrate the importance of considering media richness online, and our discussion considers the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.