The Effect of Social Media on the Civic Participation of University Students
Keywords:
social media, civic participation, university students, digital activism, qualitative studyAbstract
This study analyzes the effect of social media on the civic participation of university students from a qualitative interpretive approach. The objective was to understand how students give meaning to their civic participation in digital environments and how they articulate online and offline practices. A phenomenological design was developed, applying semi-structured interviews to 12 university students selected through purposive sampling. The analysis was conducted using thematic coding, identifying emerging categories related to political information, digital identity, symbolic participation, and offline mobilization. The results show that social media constitutes the primary source of public information for young people and a central space for political expression. Low-intensity forms of participation such as sharing content or taking positions in digital debates predominate; however, in certain contexts, these practices may act as catalysts for offline participation. Tensions related to disinformation, polarization, and algorithmic influence were also identified, conditioning the quality of civic engagement. It is concluded that social media does not replace traditional participation but rather reconfigures it into hybrid formats mediated by individual, relational, and structural factors. The study provides qualitative evidence that engages with recent international research and contributes to a doctoral-level understanding of youth citizenship in the digital age.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Maria Castañeda Mongelos (Autor/a)
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