1. Increasing civic engagement using 140 characters
Increasing civic engagement using 140 characters? An online experiment on the effects of different communication strategies and the use of hashtags
ECREA Istanbul, October 26th 2012
Mirjam Lasthuizen, Sanne Gaastra, Sonja Utz & Raymond van Dongelen
NHL University of Applied Sciences

2. Project Social Community
Partners: Public organizations like police and local government
How can social media be used for civic participation?
Experiment message content and use of hashtag

3. Civic engagement: high/low
Experimental design
Benefits:
no benefit
individual benefit
group benefit
Civic participation:
retweeting
clicking link
contribute to website
Hashtag:
yes/no
Civic engagement: high/low

4. Theoretical background
Expectancy value theories: naming benefits increase participation
Social dilemma perspective:
Motivational solution: group benefit (prosocial)
Strategic solution: gamification is incentive in individual benefit (proself)
Hashtags activate group feeling
Moderating effect of civic engagement

5. Hypotheses
H1: The group benefit increases participation more than the individual benefit in case of highly engaged persons.
H2: The individual benefit increases participation more than the group benefit concerning lowly engaged persons.
H3: A hashtag increase active participation more in case of highly engaged citizens compared to lowly engaged citizens.

7. Method
More burglaries in your neighborhood: Think along on <link>
Individual benefit: become the Sherlock Holmes of your neighborhood
Group benefit: help to increase the safety in your neighborhood
Hashtag: #neighborhoodandpolice

8. Respondents 206 responses 1/3 male, 2/3 female Average age: 27
98%: 200 friends
73%: 65 followers
64%: 130 contacts

9. Retweeting Benefit Civic engagement No benefit Individual benefit
Group benefit
2.57
2.09
2.77
Low engagement
High engagement
2.24
2.71

10. Clicking the link Civic engagement Low engagement High engagement 3.24
3.77

11. Contributing information
Benefits * Civic engagement

12. Discussion
Individual benefit decreases retweeting: reducing competition to become Sherlock Holmes (relevancy of the content of the social dilemma besides structure)
Group benefit increases participation (contributing information), except for highly engaged citizens: motivational crowding

13. Contact
website mail