Citizenship and political uses of digital platforms. The incidence of sociodemographic factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.10.20.12Keywords:
political communication, social media, mobile instant messaging services, political uses, social uses, SpainAbstract
The use of social media and mobile instant messaging services (MIMS) is increasing among citizens. According to data from 2023, social media users exceeded 4.3 billion in the world, being Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp the platforms more employed. Its use has changed current forms of communication, expanding the number of channels to share content. The objective of this research is to know the use that citizens make of both social media and MIMS on social and political participation. To do this, an online survey was carried out on 1,202 people residing in Spain. The sample has been stratified according to four sociodemographic variables: gender, age, educational level and incomes of the participants. The results make it possible to identify significant differences in the political and social uses made by citizens through social media and MIMS, especially in relation to the gender, age and educational level of the respondents.
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