The Role of Political Communication through Mass Media on Political Efficacy among College Students

Abstract

This study evaluates the relationship between the use of political media and political efficacy by taking the existence of political knowledge and political talks into consideration as the mediators in this relationship. The research model employs the Media System Dependency (MSD) perspective, which recognizes the 2019 Indonesian election. The survey used the samples of first year-students from three state colleges in Bandung. The results show that the use of social media and newspapers to disseminate political information has direct and significant consequences on the level of political efficacy. While television news affects the level of political efficacy through face-to-face political talks. The conclusions support the MSD perspective on the direct and indirect affective consequences of the media.