EFFECTS OF ONLINE NEWS MEDIA USES ON POLITICAL EFFICACY AND ON AND OFFLINE POLITICAL DISCUSSION: MEDIATING EFFECTS OF POLITICAL EFFICACY AND ONLINE POLITICAL DISCUSSION

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which uses of current affairs and political content on portal sites (Naver, Google) and social media platforms (Facebook· Instagram, KakaoStory) influences users’ political efficacy and participation in political discussions both online and offline. The findings indicate that such media use enhances internal political efficacy, which subsequently promotes online political discussion and, ultimately, offline political discussion. Internal political efficacy and online discussion were shown to exert significant mediating effects within this sequential process. These results provide empirical evidence that exposure to political and current affairs content through online media reinforces individuals’ internal political efficacy. In line with previous researches, the findings suggest that media use extends beyond the acquisition of knowledge to foster political confidence, which in turn encourages more active political participation. Portals and social media platforms thus play a critical role in shaping the attitudinal foundations upon which democratic participation depends. Another notable implication of this study is the mediating role of online political discussion in the relationship between online media use and offline political discussion. Online political discussion does not merely constitute passive or superficial engagement but serves as an arena in which political confidence can be translated into tangible action. In this sense, online political discussion functions as both a training ground for democratic communication and a catalyst for cultivating a culture of deliberation.