THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: REVISITING THE ROLE OF POLITICAL INTEREST

In this paper we aim to investigate the relationship between Internet use, motivation and political participation. In particular, we aim to find out if, by reducing participation costs, use of the Internet changes the importance of motivation in the classic explanations of participation. In order to explore this question, we have used data from survey 2736 by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociologicas (CIS), which addresses the issue of political participation and Internet use. The analysis shows that Internet use has a direct impact on participation, regardless of motivation, and that skilled Internet users do not need to be motivated or interested in politics in order to participate in at least one online political activity.