{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T23:20:00Z","timestamp":1777936800833,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,7,9]],"date-time":"2016-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1468022400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["New Media &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This article examines whether the Web and particularly a new breed of civic action sites operated by non-governmental actors provide a new pathway into wider community engagement. Using an innovative mixed methodology, we conduct a qualitative and quantitative over-time analysis of the users of four civic action sites developed by mySociety, an online UK non-profit organisation. The key question posed is whether the highly targeted or \u2018particularised\u2019 actions that these sites promote, such as contacting a local councillor, have a spill-over effect in terms of increasing feelings of empowerment in the local community. Alternatively are they attracting and reinforcing the resource bias of the most active citizens? The results are mixed in that they confirm that users of these sites are typically more aware and engaged than average. However, it is also clear that they have integrated these tools into their existing repertoire of engagement and this reinforces their feeling that they can have an impact on their wider communities. Overall, the study suggests that involvement in collective rather than individual approaches to resolve problems is most likely to further increase individuals\u2019 levels community engagement.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444815616225","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,12,16]],"date-time":"2015-12-16T22:09:47Z","timestamp":1450303787000},"page":"1896-1915","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":23,"title":["\u2018It\u2019s not about me, it\u2019s about my community\u2019: A mixed-method study of civic websites and community efficacy"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Marta","family":"Cantijoch","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Manchester, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Silvia","family":"Galandini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Manchester, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachel","family":"Gibson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Manchester, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1461444815616225","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1006686729513"},{"key":"bibr2-1461444815616225","first-page":"221","volume-title":"Citizenship and Involvement in European Democracies: A Comparative Analysis","author":"Andersen JG","year":"2007"},{"key":"bibr3-1461444815616225","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/19331681003791891"},{"key":"bibr4-1461444815616225","volume-title":"Political Action: Mass Participation in Five Western Democracies","author":"Barnes S","year":"1979"},{"key":"bibr5-1461444815616225","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/sf\/79.1.191"},{"key":"bibr6-1461444815616225","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2137147"},{"key":"bibr7-1461444815616225","volume-title":"The Voter Decides","author":"Campbell A","year":"1954"},{"key":"bibr8-1461444815616225","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Christensen HS (2011) Political activities on the internet: Slacktivism or political participation by other means? First Monday 16(2). Available at: http:\/\/firstmonday.org\/article\/view\/3336\/2767","DOI":"10.5210\/fm.v16i2.3336"},{"key":"bibr9-1461444815616225","unstructured":"Clark TS, Linzer DA (2012) Should I Use Fixed or Random Effects. Unpublished paper. Available at: http:\/\/polmeth.wustl.edu\/media\/Paper\/ClarkLinzerREFEMar2012.pdf (accessed 9 January 2015)."},{"key":"bibr10-1461444815616225","first-page":"771","volume":"2","author":"Coleman S","year":"2008","journal-title":"International Journal of Communication"},{"key":"bibr11-1461444815616225","volume-title":"Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies","author":"Dalton R","year":"2002"},{"key":"bibr12-1461444815616225","unstructured":"Escher T (2011a) They Work for You.com: analysis of users and usage for UK Citizens Online Democracy. A report commissioned by UK Citizens Online Democracy, London. 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