ABSTRACT
The youngest generation benefits most from social media use in regard to the latter. In particular, the more older generations are exposed to political information on social media, the more strongly they participate in activities least connected to the political system. This chapter summarizes the findings, per generation and per dimension of the Engagement-Participation-Information-Generation model, looking at how political involvement affects media use (antecedents) and how media use affects political involvement. The pattern of linearity becomes especially visible for the relationship between news media exposure and how strongly generations benefit in regards to their political interest, knowledge, and efficacy. Contact with others may contribute to Generation Z acting on political information since their social online networks present them with the opportunity to make diverse connections and to reflect upon and discover important political topics.
