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UM E-Theses Collection (澳門大學電子學位論文庫)

Title

Internet use pattern and the production of social capital : the case of students in University of Macau

English Abstract

The study explores the relationship between Internet use and individual-level production of social capital. To do so, the author adopts a motivational perspective to distinguish among types of Internet use when examining the factors predicting civic engagement and social trust. Data are gathered through stratified cluster sampling among undergraduate students in University of Macau. The data suggest that informational uses of the Internet are positively related to the indicators of social capital, whereas recreational uses of the Internet do not appear significant associations with civic engagement or social trust. Further, the study emphasizes the mediation effects of citizen communication in the process that informational uses of the Internet affect civic engagement. The results suggest that informational uses of the Internet encourage citizen communication online and offline, which in turn spurs civic engagement. The findings highlight that interactive civic messaging strongly influence the level of civic engagement, often more so than do traditional political discussion between families and acquaintances. Moreover, the study reveals two dimensions of civic engagement in Macau: political oriented civic engagement and nonpolitical oriented civic engagement, and makes distinctions between them in the level of engagement and stimulus mechanism. Implications for further researches and practices are discussed

Issue date

2008.

Author

Chen, Xiao Fan

Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences (former name: Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities)
Department
Department of Communication
Degree

M.A.

Subject

Internet -- Social aspects -- Macau -- Case studies

Social capital (Sociology) -- Case studies

Social participation -- Case studies

Supervisor

Chen, Huai Lin

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Location
1/F Zone C
Library URL
991002633829706306