Mass Communication

MASS COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY, 2006, 9(4), 461–483
Media Dissociation, Internet Use, and
Antiwar Political Participation:
A Case Study of Political Dissent and
Action Against the War in Iraq
Hyunseo Hwang
School of Journalism & Mass Communication
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Michael Schmierbach
Department of Communication
College of Charleston
Hye-Jin Paek
Department of Advertising/Public Relations
University of Georgia
Homero Gil de Zuniga and Dhavan Shah
School of Journalism & Mass Communication
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Media are thought to exert social control over dissenters by discouraging political expression and oppositional activities during periods of conflict. With the rise of the
Internet, however, people play an increasingly active role in their media interactions, potentially reducing this media influence and increasing dissenters’ likelihood of speaking out and taking action. To understand what spurs some dissenters to become politically active, we conceptualize the perceived discrepancy between mainstream media portrayals and an individual’s own views as “media dissociation.” This study, then, explores if people who are alienated from mainstream media engage in information gathering and discussion via the Internet, and whether these
Correspondence should be addressed to Hyunseo Hwang, School of Journalism and Mass
Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 5014 Vilas Communication Hall, 821 University
Avenue, Madison, WI 53706. E-mail: [e-mail] behaviors lead to political participation aimed at social change. A Web-based survey of political dissenters conducted during the start of the U.S.-led invasion of
Iraq (N = 307) provides the case study data used to test relationships among media dissociation, Internet use, and antiwar activism. Structural equation modeling revealed that the more the individuals surveyed felt their views differed from mainstream media portrayals, the

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