Vazquez-Barrio, Tamara , TORRECILLAS LACAVE, MARÍA TERESA, Suarez-Alvarez, Rebeca
No
Rev. Mediterr. Comun.
Article
Científica
0
0
01/01/2020
000605707200013
Social media affords information acquisition and debate with other users, and opens up new channels for social participation and individual empowerment. However, the data indicate that only a third of young people use them for these purposes. This paper's main objectives are, first, to identify the opportunities that digitalisation offers for social and political participation, by way of in-depth interviews with experts and two discussion groups with young people from 15-18 years old; and, second, to analyse the effective use of these potentialities by young people. The analysis concludes by highlighting that for adolescents the internet is predominantly an entertainment space. Their discourse does not display spontaneous participation in public affairs. Responses to the question regarding the utility of social networks as tools for political and sacral participation reveal a lack of interest, unfamiliarrty, and scepticism toward their potential effects. In addition, the results reveal that girls encounter-some obstacles to participating, since they prefer not to express their opinion in order to avoid criticism. This, accordingly becomes an evident self-censorship practice.
ICTs affordances; socio-political participation; adolescents; social media; second digital divide; feminism