Unpacking social media's role in sociopolitical development amidst the dual pandemics: Perspectives of marginalized adolescent organizers

Abstract

“Dual pandemics” refers to the combination of COVID-19 and structural racism in U.S. society—two forces that intersect to exacerbate inequities for marginalized and underrepresented communities. Today, we see marked differences in civic engagement for youth who were adolescents at the onset of the dual pandemics. Recent studies suggest that youth are disconnecting from political parties, and turnout among young voters has dropped. These shifts may affect youth sociopolitical values and civic behaviors in the coming years. It is challenging to understand if and how the youth experience during the dual pandemics may have affected sociopolitical development (SPD) without considering social media use. Social media had an outsized presence in youth's educational, social, and political lives during this time. In this study, we interviewed 11 racial and/or gender-marginalized adolescent organizers (ages 14–19), asking them to reflect on social media's role in their sociopolitical development from the spring of 2020 until the fall of 2021. Our respondents reported an intensification of sociopolitical learning, decreased trust in United States. political institutions, and an increased sense of collective identity supporting their agency. Social media use contributed to a shift in youth organizing strategy to focus on digital organizing and mutual aid, a pendulum swing from high activity to burnout, and a centering of racial justice in all organizing spheres. The nuanced perspectives of youth in this study can inform social justice education with youth in the 2020s and help build stronger intergenerational movements for social change.