Rational Choice, Political Action, and Media: A Study of the Relationship between Political Costs and Students’ Online and Offline Political Participation
Journal Title: Journal of Applied Sociology - Year 2021, Vol 32, Issue 3
Abstract
Introduction: The latest emerging communication technologies such as the Internet and online social networks have drastically shaped individual’s participation. Now, with the spread of new technologies (social networks), people can pursue some of their political interests and activities in the online interactive space. Therefore, understanding the political participation of individuals in society without considering its online dimensions would not be enough. In a world where the spatialization of online (offline-offline) is increasing day by day, political participation is not limited to one dimension (i.e. participation in offline (real) space). Another dimension called online political participation (political participation in cyberspace) is also provided for political participation. The prominent role of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram in the evolution of political systems shows this crucial point. Taking into account the ‘dual speciation of the social world’ and the rational choice approach, the present study tried to examine the relationship between political costs (perceived and received) with students’ political participation in both online and offline spaces. Materials and Methods: In this survey study, the data collection tool was a questionnaire with mostly closed questions organized in several sections. The first part was demographic characteristics; the second part was online and offline political participation; and the third part was about measuring political expenses. The formal validity was used to ensure the validity of the questionnaire and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to ensure the reliability.. The reliability results of the questionnaire spectra with Cronbach's alpha coefficient were acceptable as follows: the online political participation with the coefficient of 79%, offline political participation with the coefficient of 72%, perceived virtual political cost with the coefficient of 93%, and the virtual and real paid costs with the coefficient of 84%. The statistical population in this study was all 20000 students in Shiraz University in different stages. Using Cochran's formula, the sample size was 390 for this study. The stratified random sampling method with proportional quota was used in this regard. In this method, the statistical population was divided into different classes based on faculty, field, gender, and educational levels. From each class, in proportion to the quota of that class, the participants were randomly selected from the sample size and completed the questionnaire voluntarily.. To analyze the data, SPSS software at both descriptive and inferential levels and Amos software were used. The present study seeks to answer three questions: 1) Is online space a less expensive area for participation? 2) Do groups whose participation and activities are thought to be costly or paid more in real space have more political participation in cyberspace?; 3) Can the rational choice approach provide a good explanation for individuals' online and offline political participation? Discussion of Results and Conclusions: The present study investigated the relationship between political costs and political participation in both online and offline spaces based on the rational choice approach. Political participation encompasses various levels in the political system, ranging from non-conflict to holding political office. The rational choice approach denotes that the way people look at political participation, like other people's actions in life, is in terms of profit and loss, that is, people with a kind of rational and computational view based on light and cost-benefit decisions decide to participate or not. In general, in the discussion of political participation, individuals can be divided into two categories: those who do not engage in participation and who remotely watch the activities and political behaviors of other people, and those who engage in political participation and look at the cost-benefit perspective at different levels of political participation. People in the first group seek to benefit from the participation of others without paying any costs. The cost-benefit view of this group of people is accompanied by the argument that if the people involved in the partnership achieve their goals, they are also partners in the profit, and if the political partnership fails to achieve the goal, the people involved pay the cost. Individuals will not incur costs due to their absence from the scene. These people can be called a group who seek a "free ride:. Activists of the second group either simply vote and participate in campaigns and contact political figures and parties (conventional participation) or engage in collective action, direct action, and political violence (unconventional participation). The rational choice approach assumes that both groups take such actions by calculating the cost-benefit. It could be argued that it can make more profit by paying less. Among the components of perceived political cost, the highest average was related to perceived political cost online. Thusit can be concluded that the online space is a more secure space in terms of cost than the offline space. This means that those who participate online will pay less politically, and those who participate in the offline (actual) space will pay more. However, perceived political costs in online (virtual) space are more than offline space, and this may be a factor in preventing people from attending online space. The results showed that contrary to the hypothesis derived from the rational choice approach, the higher the political cost paid by students, the higher their political participation would be.. Therefore, it can be said that people who have high participation are probably the ones who have a stronger belief in their political path and expenses; in addition, suchexpenses cannot stop them from following their path. The next point is that such people who have the experience of paying political costs are not afraid of participating in politics. The sum of these findings indicates that we in Iran and among students cannot speak of a rational political activist and calculator by defining a rational approach. From this perspective, students are not rational and cost-effective political actors, because their perceptions and calculations of the costs and benefits would not direct their political participation. Also, the costs paid offline do not cause them to engage in political participation in the online space at a lower cost, and vice versa.
Authors and Affiliations
Mohammad Taghi Abbasi Shavazi * Assistant Professor, Faculty of Economics, Management and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran mtabbasi@rose. shirazu. ac. ir Sadegh Panahinasab PhD Candidate of Sociology, Faculty of Economics, Management and Social Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran sadeghpanahi12@gmail. com Dorna Esmaeilkhani M. A Graduate in Sociology, Faculty of Economics, Management and Social Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran Dorna. es@gmail. com
Keywords
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- EP ID EP704808
- DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.22108/jas.2021.125610.2003
- Views 44
- Downloads 0
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