Alternative Information and Digital Citizenship: The Rise of Unconventional Political Participation in the Asian Context of Internet Use

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the Internet as an alternative information source on citizenship in East and Southeast Asia. Data came from the World Values Survey for the two periods of 2005–07 and 2010–13. The results show that informational Internet use is associated with unconventional political participation across the regions in both survey waves. Furthermore, the positive relationship is enhanced among those who do not belong to any voluntary organization or withdraw from daily newspapers. Overall I find that along with the widespread expansion of digital media, the Asian Internet has become an agent of civic associations that take place outside the institutional field of politics and empowers the marginalized in traditional systems of political communication.