Welcome to the Club

International Journal of Communication 10(2016), 3931–3955 1932–8036/20160005

Copyright © 2016 (Chih-Hui Lai & Wenhong Chen). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution

Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd). Available at http://ijoc.org.

Welcome to the Club:

From Multimodal Voluntary Participation

to Community Involvement

CHIH-HUI LAI1

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

WENHONG CHEN

University of Texas, Austin, USA

This study integrates the theory of media multiplexity and a social network perspective

to examine whether and how multiple modes of participation in voluntary groups, that

is, multimodal voluntary participation, facilitate community involvement. Analyzing a

2013 random sample survey of 400 residents in the Greater Cleveland area, Ohio, in the

United States, the results show that multimodal voluntary participation contributes to

community involvement after controlling for local social ties and multiple affiliations.

However, the normalization hypothesis was not supported as individuals who occupy

bridging affiliation positions are not necessarily more advantaged than are those without

such positions in adopting multimodal voluntary participation and engaging in

community activities. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: voluntary associations, new media, social networks, media multiplexity,

community involvement

The growing adoption of new media technologies such as social media and mobile applications

has changed the way individuals participate in voluntary collective activities at organizational, community,

and societal levels. Whereas much of the scholarly attention has been devoted to the use of new media

technologies for engagement in collective activities on a temporary event basis such as disaster response

(Landwehr & Carley, 2014; Starbird & Palen, 2011), important questions remain as to the role of these

technologies in the participation of more regular forms of collective activity, such as leisured-based groups

or church groups, and the outcomes of such collective activity. Despite the unique nature, social

movements can be considered a long-term type of voluntary participation because members are

connected in some way between big protest events. Evidence from research on recent social movements

suggests that, in addition to social media, an array of technologies ranging from text messaging, e-mails,

Chih-Hui Lai: [email protected]

Wenhong Chen: [email protected]

Date submitted: 2015–11–04

1 This work was partially supported by a faculty scholarship awarded by Buchtel College of Arts and

Sciences, the University of Akron, with which the first author was affiliated when receiving the support.

3932 Chih-Hui Lai & Wenhong Chen International Journal of Communication 10(2016)

and blogs is used for different phases of coordination and organization of the movements, and activities

take place in both online and offline domains (Lim, 2012; Tufekci & Wilson, 2012). It appears that to

understand how new media technologies play out in contemporary forms of voluntary participation, it may

be necessary to consider the broader social context of participation and technology use.

Voluntary associations play an important role in the consolidation of democracies around the

world (Kim, 2004; Maloney & Rossteutscher, 2007; Putnam 1993). A person’s voluntary group

participation—comprising interactions and activities that take place within the boundaries of a specific

group—may facilitate his/her involvement in a community through attending, connecting with, orienting,

and manipulating formal and informal activities beyond the boundaries of the specific group (e.g.,

Babchuk & Edwards, 1965; Putnam, 2000; Rothenbuhler, 1991; Stamm, Emig, & Hesse, 1997; Stolle,

2000). It is important to point out that voluntary group participation and community involvement are

conceptually and empirically distinct. On the one hand, voluntary group participation may help facilitate

community involvement: It facilitates and sustains trust, norms, and networks (Putnam, 1993). By

participating in voluntary groups, people have the opportunity to pursue and enhance their interests,

skills, and competence in participating in civic affairs (e.g., Putnam, 1993; Verba, Schlozman, & Brady,

1995). In turn, participation may foster greater formal and informal involvement at the community and

social levels (Florin & Wandersman, 1990; Rothenbuhler, 1991; Stolle & Rochon, 1998). On the other

hand, participation in certain voluntary groups, particularly those with strong inward-looking tendencies,

may not lead to positive individual and collective outcomes (Kwon, Heflin, & Ruef, 2013).

However, few studies in this rapidly growing literature have delved into this paradox to specify

when and how voluntary group participation spills over and is beneficial to community involvement beyond

group boundaries. Indeed, there are significant knowledge gaps. First, a substantive line in the literature

has focused on either individual citizens’ binary membership (i.e., whether individuals join a group or not)

or the absolute number of voluntary groups they have joined (e.g., Stolle & Rochon, 1998; Verba et al.,

1995). With a few exceptions, such as the studies conducted by Kavanaugh et al. (2007) and McPherson

and his colleagues in the 1980s in Nebraska, appropriate theoretical frameworks that can systemically

account for the environment and different dimensions of voluntary group participation have been lacking.

McPherson’s (1983) ecology model for voluntary associations centers on the dynamic relationships among

voluntary groups. As the focus has been at the organizational level, limited attention has been paid to

members’ patterns of participation in these groups and the larger media and community environments in

which group participation is embedded.

Second, the possibility of multiple modes of participation and the resulting outcomes has been

overlooked in the existing literature. The majority of the research has focused on investigating the positive

relationships between individuals’ technology use and membership in voluntary groups (e.g., Hampton,

Lee, & Her, 2011). Yet, there has been little empirical examination of how members’ different dimensions

of technology-enabled participation are associated with collective outcomes, some of which may go

beyond the group boundaries.

As digital media and communication technologies have become an integral part of everyday life,

it is possible that people can harness the potential of multiple technologies to participate in voluntary