The influence of Facebook on Political Activism and Radicalism

A Influência do Facebook no Ativismo e Radicalismo Político

La Influencia de Facebook en el Activismo y el Radicalismo Político

Abstract

Recently, an increase in radicalism in the political sphere has ocurred. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the intensity of Facebook use on political radicalism and activism, taking as hypothesis (H₁) that the intensity of Facebook use can increase radicalism and activism rates and (H₂) that this effect would be partially mediated by the degree of confidence in Facebook consumed information. To this end, 211 respondents participated by answering the Facebook Intensity Scale, Online News Consumption Confidence Scale and Activism and Radicalism Intention Scale. The results did not corroborate the mediation model (H₂) but only the direct effect (H₁), indicating that, regardless of user trust in the news they are accessing, the use of Facebook tends to favor higher rates of activism and radicalism. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords:
social media; social influence; political psychology