The Power to Mobilize: Effects of First-Time Voters’ Political Social-Media Use on Electoral Behavior

The first time voters of today grew up completely in a convergent media environment where social media platforms combine formerly distinct media channels; and they increasingly receive political news via these platforms (Mitchell, Gottfried & Matsa, 2015). Little is known so far how this changes their informational behavior in election campaign times, what information young voters actually receive and whether the exposure to campaign related news via social media affects their electoral behavior. Our study therefore examines, using a smartphone-based media diary, how the first time voters of today use social media channels to inform about an upcoming election. To this end, Danish first-time voters (n=364) were surveyed over three weeks leading up to the national election in 2015. Our study indicates that social media platforms are their main information source for campaign news and that such platforms can help to mobilize first-time voters to engage with an upcoming election.