ABSTRACT

Despite a growing body of scholarship on Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT), the applicability of CIT as an ecological approach in rural and suburban areas remains largely unexplored in comparison with its urban counterpart. The current study advances CIT across the geographically dispersed communities (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural) and explores how community storytelling networks, through social media and interpersonal discussion, interact with the diverse communities on civic participation. A nationwide online panel survey reveals that community-oriented social media (CSM) use was positively associated with civic participation. The results also indicate that the relationship between CSM and civic participation was stronger for those who reside in rural communities. Interpersonal discussion in this study played a similar role for residents living in suburban communities. This study’s theoretical contribution, policy implications, and practical applications are further discussed in the contexts of communication infrastructure, social media, and civic participation.

摘要

尽管关于通信基础设施理论 (CIT) 的学术研究越来越多，但与城市对应物相比，CIT 作为一种生态方法在农村和郊区的适用性在很大程度上仍未得到探索。当前的研究在地理上分散的社区（即城市、郊区和农村）推进 CIT，并探索社区讲故事网络如何通过社交媒体和人际讨论与不同社区进行公民参与互动。一项全国性的在线小组调查显示，以社区为导向的社交媒体 (CSM) 的使用与公民参与呈正相关。结果还表明，对于居住在农村社区的人来说，CSM 与公民参与之间的关系更强。本研究中的人际讨论对居住在郊区社区的居民起到了类似的作用。本研究的理论贡献、政策影响和实际应用将在通信基础设施、社交媒体和公民参与的背景下进一步讨论。