oung people have become increasingly engaged in national politics and global affairs with the inherent rise of social media. Data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows that as of 2020, 97% of youth between the ages 12-17 were engaging with at least one social media site. Social media has the ability to introduce young people to politics in a way that is accessible to them; however, with the increase of youth engagement comes an increased risk of misinformation. Additionally, the response to misinformation, made more probable with a curated digital archive of opinions, should be careful to avoid the form of censorship as it prevents youth from expressing political opinions freely.
According to data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), 70% percent of young people received information regarding the 2020 election through social media. As youth engagement in politics becomes steadily more intertwined with social media platforms, so does the danger of misinformation and polarization to thrive off of the algorithmic format of most sites. Misinformation is not a new problem for news and media, but recent events have also triggered a surge in political polarization. For example, Russia’s messaging campaigns regarding the war in Ukraine illustrate the ease in which social media sites can be used to spread false statements to the general public, and youth in particular.
As global news becomes more prominently available on social media sites, young voters are receiving their news on these platforms via influencers who they deem as reliable sources of information. These influencers are often young voters who are using social media platforms to discuss their views about national and global affairs which, in turn, means these platforms are gathering an ever-growing digital archive of what young people think about pressing issues. The archive of opinions cultivated by social media platforms feeds the user with information that supports a “popular” opinion via the “for you” pages on TikTok, X (Twitter), and Instagram’s “explore” page—without an opportunity for further analysis. The digital vortex at the center of most social media sites stimulates polarization, as its main purpose is to show the user more information about ideas or concepts that they are already interested in without opposing viewpoints. Thus, the idea that the youth will be responsible for future political decisions and the election of global leadership is troublesome when considering how political opinions are introduced as factual videos.
Youth investment in politics, even in the midst of misinformation, has proved that social media has solidified itself as an important factor in national politics and global events. It has illustrated digital proof of younger people’s current investment in global affairs—ranging from youth thoughts on climate change to the Ukraine war. Social media sites like TikTok have allowed Gen Z to gain platforms as activists, sharing their opinion on global events and national politics with a direct impact on global affairs. In 2022, there was a conversation around research conducted by the advocacy group Accelerate Change which found that TikTok was decreasing distribution of videos by 66% that featured certain election related words like “voting” and “midterms.” TikTok spokesperson Jamie Favazza denied the results of the study. Decreasing distribution on videos relating to elections is in itself a form of censorship similar to the efforts made by French President Emmanuel Macron to ban youth access to social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently denounced social media for how it has affected the way young people view reality; he’s made subsequent efforts to ban social media as an attempt to censor youth voices. As reported by POLITICO, President Macron makes his views clear with the statement, "We need to think about the use of these networks by the youth ... and about the bans that need to be put in place. And I say this very clearly, because they change the way young people relate to reality." While misinformation and polarization can certainly occur on social media sites, the ban proposed by President Macron is a form of censorship; he is trying to prevent youth from expressing their political opinions all together.
The problems that result from younger generations formulating their opinions solely on the basis of videos and information from social media sites—especially ones that use algorithmic pages like the “for you” or “explore” pages—are important to consider as Gen Z will soon be the future of global leadership. However, it is also important to recognize that social media is undoubtedly a social and global tool of the future to affect change. When armored with correct and factual information, and opinion biases are taken away from the formatting of “for you” pages, social media can be used as a public forum to have intellectual conversations surrounding global politics.
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Increase in Social Media Use Spurring Youth Political Engagement
Photo by Katie Rodriguez on Unsplash
October 3, 2023
Increased social media use has led to an accompanying increase in youth involvement in national politics and global affairs. While critics worry about how social media may distort young people’s view of reality, it remains an important tool for affecting change, writes DC apprentice Irelan Fletcher.
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oung people have become increasingly engaged in national politics and global affairs with the inherent rise of social media. Data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows that as of 2020, 97% of youth between the ages 12-17 were engaging with at least one social media site. Social media has the ability to introduce young people to politics in a way that is accessible to them; however, with the increase of youth engagement comes an increased risk of misinformation. Additionally, the response to misinformation, made more probable with a curated digital archive of opinions, should be careful to avoid the form of censorship as it prevents youth from expressing political opinions freely.
According to data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), 70% percent of young people received information regarding the 2020 election through social media. As youth engagement in politics becomes steadily more intertwined with social media platforms, so does the danger of misinformation and polarization to thrive off of the algorithmic format of most sites. Misinformation is not a new problem for news and media, but recent events have also triggered a surge in political polarization. For example, Russia’s messaging campaigns regarding the war in Ukraine illustrate the ease in which social media sites can be used to spread false statements to the general public, and youth in particular.
As global news becomes more prominently available on social media sites, young voters are receiving their news on these platforms via influencers who they deem as reliable sources of information. These influencers are often young voters who are using social media platforms to discuss their views about national and global affairs which, in turn, means these platforms are gathering an ever-growing digital archive of what young people think about pressing issues. The archive of opinions cultivated by social media platforms feeds the user with information that supports a “popular” opinion via the “for you” pages on TikTok, X (Twitter), and Instagram’s “explore” page—without an opportunity for further analysis. The digital vortex at the center of most social media sites stimulates polarization, as its main purpose is to show the user more information about ideas or concepts that they are already interested in without opposing viewpoints. Thus, the idea that the youth will be responsible for future political decisions and the election of global leadership is troublesome when considering how political opinions are introduced as factual videos.
Youth investment in politics, even in the midst of misinformation, has proved that social media has solidified itself as an important factor in national politics and global events. It has illustrated digital proof of younger people’s current investment in global affairs—ranging from youth thoughts on climate change to the Ukraine war. Social media sites like TikTok have allowed Gen Z to gain platforms as activists, sharing their opinion on global events and national politics with a direct impact on global affairs. In 2022, there was a conversation around research conducted by the advocacy group Accelerate Change which found that TikTok was decreasing distribution of videos by 66% that featured certain election related words like “voting” and “midterms.” TikTok spokesperson Jamie Favazza denied the results of the study. Decreasing distribution on videos relating to elections is in itself a form of censorship similar to the efforts made by French President Emmanuel Macron to ban youth access to social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently denounced social media for how it has affected the way young people view reality; he’s made subsequent efforts to ban social media as an attempt to censor youth voices. As reported by POLITICO, President Macron makes his views clear with the statement, "We need to think about the use of these networks by the youth ... and about the bans that need to be put in place. And I say this very clearly, because they change the way young people relate to reality." While misinformation and polarization can certainly occur on social media sites, the ban proposed by President Macron is a form of censorship; he is trying to prevent youth from expressing their political opinions all together.
The problems that result from younger generations formulating their opinions solely on the basis of videos and information from social media sites—especially ones that use algorithmic pages like the “for you” or “explore” pages—are important to consider as Gen Z will soon be the future of global leadership. However, it is also important to recognize that social media is undoubtedly a social and global tool of the future to affect change. When armored with correct and factual information, and opinion biases are taken away from the formatting of “for you” pages, social media can be used as a public forum to have intellectual conversations surrounding global politics.
