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This study used a political and social survey to examine the relationships among political efficacy, community activity, and political engagement in different generational cohorts in South Korea. A nationally representative sample of 777 Korean voters (age range: 20–59) was used for the analysis. We hypothesized that political efficacy is positively related to political engagement, both directly and indirectly, via mediating variables (i.e., both online and offline community activities). After we had controlled for gender, income, and educational level, the results revealed that the indirect effect of political efficacy on online political engagement via online community activities was significant for both the 20–30 age groups and the 30–40 age groups studied. For the 40–50 generation, offline community activities had a significant effect on offline political engagement. Political efficacy had a significant direct effect on online political engagement for both age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined how engaging in an online community affects members' community loyalty and social well-being. Based on findings in extant literature, we proposed that a sense of collective efficacy would play an important role in addressing the impacts of online community engagement on both community loyalty and social well-being of members. We used data from online fan communities in South Korea and found that engaging in the online community positively influenced both community loyalty and social well-being through enhancing a sense of collective efficacy. Our findings contribute to the literature by revealing the important role of collective efficacy in online communities. Limitations of this study and directions for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the internet in South Korea has become a battleground for unprecedented gender wars. This was intensified by the emergence of Megalia, an online feminist group that was started in 2015 as a response to the misogynistic culture and discourses in male-dominated online communities. This article explores the emergence of a new form of digital feminist activism as a process through which gendered realities and feminist experiences are simultaneously augmented. We argue that female online users in Korea, by taking the online seriously as a focal site in which offline realities are not simply extended or revoked but augmented through and through, could gain a critical perspective on gender relations via the activism of fun. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sewol ferry tragedy was a major event in South Korea in 2014. This study examines the agenda-setting links between a Korean online newscast (Naver) and a Korean online community (Daum). Although each portal initially focused on different crisis attributes and stakeholders regarding the ferry tragedy, their agendas became more alike over time. Notably, the cross-lagged analysis shows significant influence of the online community (Daum) on the online newscast (Naver). This study also expands on Son and Weaver’s [2006, Another look at what moves public opinion: Media agenda setting and polls in the 2000 U.S. election.International Journal of Public Opinion Research,18(2), 174–197] theoretical model for a stratified agenda, providing a more nuanced look at attribute agenda setting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To gain a better understanding of online brand communities, this study has examined why people joined in online brand communities and whether there were some differences in the motivations of Internet users based on different cultures. Open-ended questions were asked to the community members from both South Korean Automobile Online Brand Communities (KAOBC) and American Automobile Online Brand Communities (AAOBC) in the first stage and then generated and utilized an online survey for the study. The study found that KAOBC members tended to have a stronger social network, business, and communication motivations than AAOBC members. As a primary motivation, information seeking is the strongest motivation for members of both KAOBC and AAOBC. They had a similar level of information motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Web has expanded the research agenda for communication scholars to study social capital. In this field of Internet studies, new indicators of social behavior and social relations have surfaced to describe and understand how social capital develops online and what the consequences are for social capital in general. Specifically, Web 2.0 as characterized by User Generated Content on weblogs and the enormously popular social network sites significantly increased the importance of studying online social capital. To study online social capital, traditional and new means of data collection and analysis can be used. This study focuses on the origins of the concept of social capital, how it is used in communication studies, and the means to measure social capital. Furthermore, two examples of studying online behavior and online social relations are provided to represent webometric tools for data collection and analysis: (1) the analysis of hyperlinks between political actors' websites in South Korea, and (2) semantic network analysis of writings produced by professional journalists online and bloggers in South Korea. These examples use advanced analytical methods (hyperlink network analysis and semantic network analysis) to understand the online practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]