Political Participation

Political participation extends much farther than an American citizen’s right to vote. It is any activity that forms, affects, or influences the political domain. American citizens are granted civil liberties, which, according to the student textbook American Government and Politics Today, are those personal freedoms that are protected for all individuals (Schmidt, Shelley, Bardes 113). These civil liberties are spelled out in the Bill of Rights, or the first Ten Amendments. However, these civil liberties were not granted to every citizen when first founded. It took many activists to push for woman’s suffrage and lead the Civil Rights Movement to ensure every American citizen has equal rights. These civil rights not only provide equal protection
Over the last half century in America, there has been a significant decline in political participation. This is a result of the development of greater social and utilitarian forces in the nation such as the development of the national government, the growth of citizenship, and the shifting political economy. These forces come together to change the rate of political participation by favoring self-interest as opposed to civic duty. American citizens are more interested in what will benefit them as an individual than what would benefit the country as a
Professors of communication Jacob Groshek and Daniela Dimitrova conducted a study to examine the correlation between online media use and political involvement during the 2008 political election. This study was done on a Midwestern statewide sample. According to the study, “A series of analyses of variance indicated that the increased use of weblogs, social networking sites, online video sites, and candidates' websites for news and campaign information purposes was moderately but positively related to political involvement” (Groshek, Dimitrova). Using social media is an easy way to show one’s support for a political candidate or to voice one’s political views. Relaying campaign news over the Internet was connected to a higher level of political involvement, while the use of blogs lowered the level of involvement. The study concluded online media only has political influence on certain aspects of the presidential