Partipolitiskt engagerade individers upplevelser av sin politiska påverkan genom sociala medier. En kvalitativ intervjustudie av unga vuxna svenska

Abstract

The younger generation of today engages less in conventional political practices than previous generations when they were young (Dezelan, 2023, p.6). Concurrently, there is an increase in new forms of political participation, such as sharing opinions online and changing one's profile picture on social media to show support for various political and social issues (a.a., p.17). This study examines Swedish politically engaged young adults’ understanding of their political participation on social media as well as its political influence, in order to shed some light on the role of social media in democracies of today. The respondents’ perceived political participation and influence through social media is analyzed through theoretical concepts associated with connective action, collective action and political efficacy. Additionally the respondents’ perception of durability in conjunction with politics is studied, as this is a discussed aspect within research about political participation online (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012, p.760). A total of six Swedish politically engaged young adults were interviewed by means of a semi-structured guide. The results showed that the respondents’ only experience of organized political participation on social media, was participation in private groups managed by the same political youth associations as the respondents were members of offline. The respondents’ individual political participation on social media was classified into four different categories, where the distinction between the categories consisted of the respondents’ aim: to either influence politics as a process (e.g. the public opinion) or the political arena (e.g. political institutions). As a conclusion, the respondents made a clear distinction between political influence on the political process (such as public opinion), and influence on the decision-making politics (such as political institutions). The respondents also described differences regarding what is required of the political participant in order to influence either the political process or the political arena, where political decisions are made. To influence the political process the only requirement is to take action, as many individual actions create a collective pressure on the political arena. On the other hand, influence on the political arena requires specific personal abilities, since it is believed that certain knowledge and socialization is necessary within e.g. political institutions. Durability is perceived as vital throughout the interviews, as both politics as a process and an arena are understood as requiring of time to develop and transform.