Dr. Mario Guerrero explores how the Internet affects citizenship norms in new manuscript

Congratulations to Dr. Mario Guerrero who recently had his work published in the Journal of Information, Technology, and Politics. Dedicated to the advancement of research on the role of information technology in politics, the Journal of Information Technology & Politics publishes articles examining the applications of IT in political campaigns, elections, and the broader public sphere; the implications of IT use for individuals and their political behavior; the political economy of IT; and the governance of the Internet.

Dr. Guerrero explores how the Internet might affect citizenship norms amongst young people in the digital age:

Research on the relationship between Internet use and political participation has identified numerous effects that result from various online activities, though the mechanisms of influence often remain unclear. In response, we develop a theory of Internet effects and citizenship norms, wherein specific uses of the Internet influence political participation by fostering dutiful or actualizing norms of citizenship. Using a longitudinal research design comprised of five nationally representative, postelection surveys (2002–2010), we find that people who engage in dutiful uses are more likely to participate in the dutiful act of voting than those who engage in actualizing uses; these findings are most prevalent among those aged 18–30. These results suggest that online activities, which reflect specific norms of citizenship, often predict corresponding forms of political participation.

Check out the article here. Congratulations once again to Dr. Guerrero!