Communication, Culture, and Governance in Asia | Motivation and Trust: How Dual Screening Influences Offline Civic Engagement Among Taiwanese Internet Users

Abstract

With growing multiscreen video consumption and civic engagement, Taiwan serves as a suitable context to investigate the motivations of dual-screening use and its effects on Internet users’ civic engagement attitudes and behaviors. Structural Equation Model was applied on a national web survey involving 741 dual screeners. Results show that discussion motivation and social media trust have a strong, positive association with dual-screening use, whereas information-seeking motivation has not. In addition, the dual-screening use that is strongly and positively associated with users’ civic engagement attitudes can positively predict offline civic engagement. Moreover, the youngest dual screeners are likely more motivated to discuss civic issues than their older counterparts. Implications of dual-screening use for civic engagement are discussed.