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I Students' Exposure to Political News on the Internet and Political Students’ Exposure to Political News on the Internet and Political Awareness: A Comparison between Germany and Egypt Dissertation Zur Erlangung des Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie an der Philosophischen Fakultät der Technischen Universität Dresden Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft Vorgelegt von Mohamed Ahmed Khalifa Ahmed Assistant Lecturer, Minia Univ., Egypt Geb. am 05.06.1977 in El-Minia. Ägepten Betreuer: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Donsbach, Technischen Universität Dresden Gutachter: 1. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Donsbach, Technischen Universität Dresden 2. Prof. Dr. Lutz M. Hagen, Technischen Universität Dresden Defense Committee: prof Dr. Nina Haferkamp, Vorsitzende Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Donsbach, Betreuer/Gutachter Prof. Dr. Lutz M. Hagen/ Gutachter Prof. Dr. Achim Brunnengräber, weiteres habilitiertes Mitglied Prof. Dr.Anja Besand, weitere Hochschullehrerin Day of submission: 18.10.2011 Day of the defense: 05.12.2011 I Acknowledgements This study was carried out in the frame of a PhD study program at the Institute of Media and Communication at the Technical University of Dresden in the period between 2008 and 2011 under the advisory of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Donsbach; the director of the IFK institute. The study has been financed by the Egyptian government for 4 years starting on October 2, 2007 and continuing through December 5, 2011. Foremost, I would like to express my heartiest thanks to my supervisor Prof. Dr Donsbach who encouraged me to take on the challenge of a PhD study, as well as for his confidence in my abilities, guidance and support, and for the freedom he offered me to do this research during my doctoral study at the Technical university of Dresden. I am sincerely grateful to the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, Egyptian Cultural Affairs & Mission Sector in Cairo, the Culture Office and study mission in Berlin, Minia University, and am especially grateful to Mansoura University, the Faculty of Art, and the Mass Communication Department for supporting me and financing all the requirements associated with studying and living in Germany. I express my gratitude to all IFK staff for their kindness and assistance in retrieving all the data and information I needed for completing my thesis. I must also thank all of my family for supporting me emotionally as I strove to finish my studies in Germany, Very special thanks to my wife and children who have been nothing but supportive during these trying times and provided me every day with the true motivation to finish the course. Last but not the least, I am deeply thankful to my parents for having provided all the possibilities that have allowed me to become who I am today and for their constant encouragement of my work. Dresden Mohamed Ahmed, 2011 II Abstract The recent political events in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia (2011) have confirmed the key role of social networks (SNSs), as well as online political news in supporting citizens with their self-determination. Furthermore, ―changes in the media landscape present new challenges for scholars interested in the relationship between the media and civil society. Additionally, the explosion of the Internet that started in advanced democracies and has spread through much of the globe provides new and unexplored pathways for communication. Moreover, the inclusion of the Internet in the media environment raises new questions for citizens, politicians, researchers, journalists, and government‖ (Oates, Owen & Gibson, 2006, p. 1). This study looks at the relationships between young people‘s exposure to political news on the Internet and their political awareness. It develops and applies an index for political participation composed of several variables measuring political interest, discussion, knowledge, and participation. The survey among students in both countries was administered in Arabic and German, while the master questionnaire was developed in English. The survey was conducted between April and June 2010 in Egypt at Minia University and in Germany at Technical university of Dresden. The sample size was 1000 (500 in each country) students from several departments representing different academic fields: three departments of Engineering, three departments of Humanities and Social Science, and finally three departments of Natural Science. The study‘s main research question was: ―What is the impact of students‘ exposure to political news on the Internet on their political awareness and civic activities?‖ The researcher started from the hypothesis that heavy use of political news on the Internet is positively related to political awareness. A further research question aimed at gauging the role of intervening variables such as gender and field of study for the relationship between the use of political news on the Internet and the level of political awareness. Results show that there is a positive relationship between using political online news and political awareness. German students‘ political awareness for German students was higher than Egypt student‘s political awareness (M=63.02, SD=15.65, comparing to M=45.72, SD= 17.65 for Egyptians). Keywords: Online Political News, Use Media, Political Awareness, Political Knowledge, Political Participation, Civic Activities, Egyptian and Germany Media System. III Table of Contents: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... II ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. III TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ IV INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE LIFE OF YOUNG PEOPLE……………………………………………………………………………...8 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ............................................ 8 1.2. POLITICAL MEDIA USES AND EFFECTS IN THE LIFE OF YOUNG PEOPLE . 10 1.3. THE ROLE OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS .. 12 1.4. THE LITERATURE UP TO NOW IN THIS AREA .................................................... 14 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS ......................................................... 18 1.5.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................. 18 1.5.2 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS ........................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 2: CHANGING COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE INTERNET AGE ................................................................................ ……………..20 2.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 20 2.2 INTERNET HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT ........................................................... 20 2.3 STRUCTURE, FEATURES AND PHENOMENA OF THE INTERNET .................... 23 2.3.1 MANY TO MANY COMMUNICATION ...................................................................... 23 2.3.2 INTERACTIVITY ........................................................................................................... 34 2.3.3 CREDIBILITY ................................................................................................................ 28 2.4 SOCIAL NETWORK (SNSS) ........................................................................................ 30 IV 2.4.1 SOCIAL NETWORK; DEFINITION, HISTORY, AND DEVELOPMENT................. 30 2.4.2 SOCIAL NETWORK (SNSS); USERS, CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES ..... 32 2.4. 3 BLOGS ........................................................................................................................... 35 2.5 INTERNET USE............................................................................................................. 38 2.5.1 GENERAL TRENDS ...................................................................................................... 38 2.5.2. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND –INTERNET USE ............................... 40 2.6. SOCIAL NETWORK AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN EGYPT ............ 44 2.7 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 3 POLITICAL AWARENESS AND RELATED CONSTRUCTS……….. .. 49 3.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 49 3.2 POLITICAL COGNITIONS ........................................................................................... 50 3.3 POLITICAL INTEREST ................................................................................................ 51 3.4 POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE ......................................................................................... 52 3.4.1. MEASURING OF POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE .......................................................... 53 3.4.2 MEDIA USE AND POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE .......................................................... 54 3.5. POLITICAL EFFICACY ............................................................................................... 56 3.5.1 DEFINITION ................................................................................................................... 56 3.5.2. MEASURINGOF POLITICAL EFFICACY ................................................................. 58 3.6. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION .................................................................................... 59 3.6.1.
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