One article that I found to be particularly interesting was “The Political Impact of Facebook: Evidence from the 2006 Midterm Elections and 2008 Nomination Contest.” In this article, authors Christine Williams and Girish Gulati explore the political impact of Facebook. As the authors state “In 2006, the candidate’s Facebook support had a significant effect on their final vote shares, particularly in the case of open seat candidates. Whether the number of Facebook supporters is a campaign resource or a distinctive indicator of a campaign dynamic other measures are missing, it does matter now, particularly for the youngest age cohort, which in 2008 shows signs of upending historical patterns and conventional wisdom about its political participation.” (Williams & Gulati, 2008). This seems to suggest that the authors believe that there is a correlation between the use of Facebook for political activism by an age cohort that is generally considered to be apathetic towards voting, and the actual voter turnout of that cohort.
In the article “Social Networks and Mass Media as Mobilizers and Demobilizers: A Study of Turnout at a German Local Election,” Authors Rudiger Schmitt-Beck and Christian Mackenrodt examined the influence that personal communications such as communication on social networking sites, and other electronic correspondence within social circles had on voting behavior, as well as the effect that mass media had on individual voting behavior. Schmitt-Beck and Mackenrodt concluded of the study “On the whole, personal communication appears more influential than mass communication. The media’s effects are generally weaker than those of social networks, more over, they are mediated by attitudes, while social networks have strong direct effects.” (Schmitt-Beck and Mackenrodt, 2010). While these findings are drawn from a local election, and likely a fairly small sample of the entire voting population, the study is relevant because it suggests that individuals may be more receptive to the thoughts and opinions of peers in regards to political matters than they are to information obtained through mass media outlets.
Although I have been unable to find any literature that attempts to measure the relationship between the use of Facebook for political purposes and the actual voter turnout for young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, I did find some literature that some conclusions about this topic can be drawn. In the study entitled “Internet Use and Political Participation: Reflections on the Mobilization/Normalization controversy" Authors Fadi Hirzalla, Liesbet Van Zoonen and Jan de Ritter explore how the use of an internet voting application (called a “vote advice application,” or VAA) played a role in mobilizing young voters in the 2006 Dutch Parliamentary elections. The authors concluded that the use of VAA’s likely played a significant role in mobilizing voters that, as they say “are among a group that is often considered apathetic about electoral politics: youth.” (Hirzalla, Van Zoonen and de Ritter, 2011).
I found it surprising that none of the literature that I reviewed studied the relationship between engaging in political activities on Facebook and actual voter turnout rates for people between the ages of 18 and 24. Although there is limited information about the relationship between Facebook and youth voter turnout, all of the literature that I reviewed suggest that there is likely a relationship between these two variables.
Hirzalla, Fadi; Van Zoonen, Liesbet; de Ritter, Jan. Internet Use and Political Participation: Reflections on the Mobilization/Normalization Controversy. Information Society. Vol. 27, Issue 1. (Jan/Feb 2011). P. 1-15.
Schmitt-Beck, Rudiger; Mockenrodt, Christian. Social Networks and Mass Media as Mobilizers and Demobilizers: A Study of Turnout at a German Local Election. Electoral Studies. (Sept. 2010). Vol. 29, Issue 3. P. 392-404.
Williams, Christine B; Gulati, Girish J. The Political Impact of Facebook: Evidence From the 2006 Midterm Elections and 2008 Nomination Contest. Politics and Technology Review 1. (2008) P. 11-21. Ebscohost 02/07/2011.