Mobilizing for Some: The Effects of Politicians' Participatory Facebook Posts on Young People's Political Efficacy

This study investigated the effects of politicians' nonparticipatory and participatory Facebook posts on young people's political efficacy - a key determinant of political participation. We employed an experimental design, using a sample of N = 125 high school students (15-20 years). Participants either saw a Facebook profile with no posts (control condition), nonparticipatory posts, or participatory posts. While nonparticipatory posts did not affect participants' political efficacy, participatory posts exerted distinct effects. For those high in trait evaluations of the politician presented in the stimulus material or low in political cynicism, we found significant positive effects on external and collective efficacy. By contrast, for those low in trait evaluations or high in cynicism, we found significant negative effects on external and collective efficacy. We did not find any effects on internal efficacy. The importance of content-specific factors and individual predispositions in assessing the influence of social media use on participation is discussed.