From digital engagement to offline neighbourhood storytelling: how local digital media relate to face-to-face interaction

As everyday interactions increasingly take place online, questions arise regarding how digital communication relates to interpersonal neighbourhood storytelling within local communities. Focusing on everyday conversations with neighbours about local events and community issues, this study examines the relationship between locally oriented digital engagement and interpersonal neighbourhood storytelling. Drawing on Communication Infrastructure Theory, the analysis is based on data from a nationally representative survey conducted in Croatia (N = 1,002) and employs hierarchical regression analysis. The findings show that both online social connectedness and social media news use are positively associated with more frequent interpersonal neighbourhood storytelling, even after accounting for sociodemographic and local community characteristics. These findings suggest that locally oriented digital engagement and interpersonal neighbourhood storytelling are interconnected elements of contemporary local communication environments. The study contributes to Communication Infrastructure Theory by linking broader forms of locally oriented digital engagement to the interpersonal component of the neighbourhood storytelling network.