ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on empirical studies to understand the implications of technological advancements and the changes they have wrought for civic life and civic participation. It then shows that digital technologies such as social network sites (SNS) may indeed have a benign influence on civic participation, But only under particular circumstances, for instance, when individuals use SNS to seek news and information about public affairs rather than simply for entertainment. Then it also shows that the size of an individual's social network, as well as the frequency of discussion with those people with whom they converse about public affairs and social issues, are good predictors of civic participation. Drawing on decades of research, civic behavior factors can be divided into four categories: demographics, social orientations, news media use, and discussion networks. Besides demographics, an individual's social orientations, such as life satisfaction, trustfulness, strength of ideological identity, and organizational membership also have an impact on civic participation.
