Graduation Year
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Communication
Major Professor
Joshua Scacco, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Steven Wilson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Artemio Ramirez, Ph.D.
Keywords
White, Black, Hispanic, Social media, Facebook, Twitter
Abstract
How close an individual identifies with their race or ethnicity can affect how individuals behave as political actors. Racial identity can affect how individuals express their political beliefs on social media sites or participate in political activities. However, does political expression on social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, affect levels of political participation? The purpose of the project is to examine the relationship between racial and ethnic identity, online political expression, and political participation among the three largest racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Specifically, this project aims to answer whether online political expression mediates the relationship between racial and ethnic identity and political participation. Using data from the 2019 ANES Pilot Study and 2020 ANES Time Series Study, the results show that online political expression on Twitter only mediates the relationship between ethnic identity and political participation in 2020. The data shows a stronger relationship between racial and ethnic identity and political participation. These findings lend evidence that there is a reciprocal relationship between expression and participation and offers more support for Shah et al.’s (2017) revised communication mediation model.
Scholar Commons Citation
Smith, Jonathon, "The Effect of Racial and Ethnic Identity Salience on Online Political Expression and Political Participation in the United States" (2022). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/9466
