Is It Critical Social Analysis? Conservative and Liberal Youth Social Media Posts During an Election

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Young People’s Perceptions of Civic and Political Engagement

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how conservative and liberal youth engaged in critical social analysis on social media in the 100 days prior to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Drawing on Sociopolitical Development theory (SPD), we analyzed 826 public posts from 36 youth (ages 18–29) on X. Using reflexive thematic analysis and prior literature as sensitizing concepts, we identified six dimensions of critical social analysis. Both liberal and conservative youth recognized injustice, made causal attributions, and proposed clear action strategies, but differed in the language and reasoning they used. Findings show that social media is a meaningful context for youth to learn and practice political reasoning, offering insights for civic education in a time of rising political polarization.

Authors

• Sara Wilf, California Polytechnic State University

• Samantha Quiroz, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

• Kendall Reed, Bates College

• Elena Maker Castro, University of California - Los Angeles