Social networking sites have grown more important in recent
years as a venue for political involvement, learning, and debate. Overall, 39%
of all American adults took part in some sort of political activity on a social
networking site during the 2012 campaign.
This means that more
Americans are now politically active on social networking sites (SNS) than used
them at all as recently as the 2008 election campaign. At that point, 26% of
the population used a social networking site of any kind.
The growth in several
specific behaviors between 2008 and 2012 illustrates the increasing importance
of SNS as places where citizens can connect with political causes and issues:
- In 2012, 17% of all adults
posted links to political stories or articles on social networking sites,
and 19% posted other types of political content. That is a six-fold
increase from the 3% of adults who posted political stories or links on
these sites in 2008.
- In 2012, 12% of all adults
followed or friended a political candidate or other political figure on a
social networking site, and 12% belonged to a group on a social networking
site involved in advancing a political or social issue. That is a four-fold
increase from the 3% of adults who took part in these behaviors in 2008.
Read or download the full
report:
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Civic-Engagement.aspx