Download full text
(294.4Kb)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-74669-8
Exports for your reference manager
Social Networking Sites, Personalization, and Trust in Government: Empirical Evidence for a Mediation Model
[journal article]
Abstract Political communication via social media might well counter the eroding political trust. In particular, social networking sites (SNS) enable direct flows of communication between citizens and the political elite, thereby reducing social and political gaps. Based on the concept of personalization of ... view more
Political communication via social media might well counter the eroding political trust. In particular, social networking sites (SNS) enable direct flows of communication between citizens and the political elite, thereby reducing social and political gaps. Based on the concept of personalization of politics, we argue that interactions with politicians on SNS affect trust in government through a two-step process: First, interactions on SNS make citizens evaluate politicians’ characters more favorably. Second, these evaluations serve as cues for the citizens to develop or withdraw trust in government. We test indirect effects using four character traits as mediators: leadership, benevolence, responsiveness, and likeability. A representative online survey (n = 1117; in Germany) reveals that interactions with politicians on SNS increase the perceived likeability of candidates, and thus also trust in government. However, they do not affect the evaluation of the other traits: leadership, benevolence, and responsiveness.... view less
Keywords
confidence; government; political factors; social network; personalization; interaction; politician; quantitative method; survey; mediation; Federal Republic of Germany
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Interactive, electronic Media
Free Keywords
ZA5728 v2.0.0: Langfrist-Online-Tracking T28 (GLES); trust in government; political trust; social networking sites; interaction with politicians; quantitative survey; mediation effects
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
p. 1-11
Journal
Social Media + Society, 6 (2020) 2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120913885
ISSN
2056-3051
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed