Facebooking It to the Polls: A Study in Online Social Networking and Political Behavior

As Internet use continues to become integrated into the daily lives of average Americans, it becomes necessary to understand the implications of each aspect of that use. As the majority of adults now take advantage of social network sites, understanding how they make use of those sites and what that means for American politics is increasingly important. This study considers one such social network site, Facebook, and how engaging in specific behaviors that provide personalized information, create community engagement, and generate social capital within that realm impacted users' decision to participate politically in the presidential primary of 2008. It concludes that certain Facebook behaviors can be translated into participatory political behaviors, both online and offline. Moreover, it is not whether or how often one uses Facebook, but rather the specific set of activities one engages in during such time that drives the relationship between Facebook use and various types of political participation.