Far from reach but near at hand: The role of social media for cross-national mobilization

• Attitude and emotion are important for citizens abroad to engage in social media use for social movement.
• Personal and civic attitude encourage participation through activism on social media.
• Personal and civic attitude enhance participation through opinion expression on social media.
• Negative emotions promote participation through opinion expression and activism on social media.

This study investigates the role of social media in contributing to participatory democracy in a cross-national context. By examining the Sunflower social movement in Taiwan and targeting a particular subgroup—Taiwanese citizens abroad—this study assesses factors that influence citizens abroad to engage in social media use for social movements as well as how different activities on social media contribute to political participation. The findings show that individual’s personal attitude and civic attitude exert a positive influence on political participation through opinion expression and activism on social media. Similarly, negative emotions toward the government’s handling of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) also promote political participation through expressing opinion and joining movement-related groups on social media. The paths signify the importance of attitude, emotion, and active use of social media for social movement in cross-national mobilization.