Social media make more participation leaders?A study of social media and leadership in Hong Kong

During the process of social mobilization for collective actions, some ordinary citizens may play the role of participation leaders by making an early participation decision and calling upon others to join the collective action. This study extends the literature on the impact of digital media on political participation by examining if digital media can influence not whether individuals would participate in a protest or not, but whether people would take up the role of participation leaders. Using the Occupy Central Movement as a case study, usage of social network services like Facebook and Twitter are found to contribute to online political communication activities, which in turn lead to participation leadership.

Early research suggests that, while overall Internet use by itself does not necessarily lead to political participation, there has been substantial evidence showing a positive impact of Internet use for political purposes on participation(Boulianne, 2009). With the rise of social media since the late 2000s, a bourgeoning literature has also shown that using social media for seeking public affairs information, opinion expression, and/or mobilization can lead to both online and offline political participation (e.g. Bode, Vraga, Borah & Shah, 2014; Conroy, Feezell, & Guerrero, 2012; Dimitrova, Shehata, Stromback, & Nord, 2014; Enjolras, Steen-Johnsen, & Wolleback, 2013; Macafee & De Simone, 2012; Skoric & Poor, 2013; Tang & Lee, 2013; Towner, 2013; Valenzuela, 2013).

While the extant literature focuses mainly on whether digital media users are more likely to participate in political activities, this article aims at extending current knowledge by examining whether different levels of digital media use is associated with different modes of participation within the same political activity. Specifically, this study focuses on participation leadership in social protests. Social protests typically involve a mobilization process that unfolds over time. Individual citizens make their participation decisions at different time points and under varying circumstances. Some individuals make an early decision to join the protest, while others may decide to participate only in the last minute. Some may make the participation decision independently and then proactively call upon others to join the protest, while others may participate largely because of an invitation from a friend. In other words, among the protest participants, some can be regarded as participation leaders who have contributed to the mobilization process, whereas others can be seen as followers who are mainly mobilized to act. Then, are frequent users of digital media more likely to play the role of participation leader in social protests?

This article tackles the research question by a survey of the Occupy Central Movement. This article is distinctive in its emphasis on participation leadership and the possibility of different types of protesters using digital media to different extents. Examining the role of digital media in facilitating participation leadership shall enrich our understanding of how digital media contribute to social mobilization for collective actions and the formation of a more active citizenry