Online and Offline Political Participation: Relationships and Psychosocial Variables (Phase 1)

This research project focuses on examining the connection between digital (online) political participation and traditional (offline) political participation in Quito during 2018, building upon prior 2017 findings that suggested the mobilizing potential of emotions on social media and the relationship between political use of these platforms and off-line engagement. The study addresses the existing controversy in the literature regarding whether online participation discourages offline participation (displacement effect), encourages it (mobilizing effect), or simply reinforces the participation of those already active (reinforcing effect). It acknowledges the increased use of the internet and social media, such as Facebook, within the Ecuadorian political context, particularly during the 2017 presidential elections. The investigation considers different classifications of social media use, such as active versus passive use, and dimensions like e-target, e-expressive, e-party, and e-news, aiming to determine how these digital interaction patterns influence concrete political actions in the real world. The ultimate purpose is to clarify the preponderant role of social media as a predictor or facilitator of offline political participation, recognizing that technology expresses the discursive appropriations of society.<br/><br/><b>Goal</b>: <br/>The main objective of this project is to analyze the relationships between online political participation and offline political participation among the population of the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ) during 2018, investigating the variables that mediate this relationship.<br/><br/><b>Research lines</b>: <br/>Political, social and community psychology