Using Social Media for Youth Critical Consciousness Development: A Photovoice Project

Background and Purpose:

Critical consciousness refers to the ability to deeply understand the sociopolitical world and take action against oppression in ones’ life and communities. Social media plays an essential role in youth critical consciousness development, but current research points to a very ambivalent relationship for young adults. The relationship is underexplored for adolescents. With a better understanding of social media’s relationship to youth SPD, we can better integrate social media as a protective and promotive tool in various youth learning contexts while also working to mitigate the adverse effects of social media on youth SPD. The overarching research questions are: (1) In what ways does social media facilitate youth sociopolitical development, and (2) in what ways does social media limit, or even act counterproductive to, youth sociopolitical development?

Methods:

The YPAR collective (youth ages 13-19 with diverse sociopolitical experiences) utilized the photovoice, survey, semi-structured interview, observational, and transcribed dialogue data. For the visual data, we analyzed the images’ production, reception, and content. All textual or spoken word data was recorded and transcribed. I used a line-by-line grounded theory approach to stay as close to the young co-researchers’ words and ideas as possible and organize data for youth to conduct second order analysis. For second-order coding, I brought a basic qualitative map of in-vivo codes to each participant-researcher. We discussed which codes were speaking to similar ideas and which codes seemed to be in conflict or contradiction with one another. The co-researchers and I analyzed their own codes in dyads. Then we used cross-case comparison to draw out additional insights across the different “sites” or youth experiences. We looked for patterns, as well as differences or deviations in interpretations. After this was done with each co-researcher, the facilitator designed a workshop where the youth could double-check that any summaries or interpretations were accurate and representative.

Results:

The YPAR collective identified ways that social media deepens critical consciousness development. This included: deepening an understanding of, and connection to, issues through art and media, identifying root causes, building shared language & linking sociopolitical issues, and being a tool for critical self-reflection. While social media may facilitate a deepening of ones’ social awareness and critical analysis, it simultaneously contributes to the reduction and erasure of complexity in issues, histories, identities, and critical actions in a way that limits SPD. This included: oversimplification, learning in echo chambers, limiting action strategies, and reduction of critical racial and social identity development. Each theme is illustrated using images and still frames.

Conclusion:

The youth co-researchers emphasized a series of tools or instruments on social media that youth use to deepen critical consciousness development. They also noted some of the ways that social media limits, or is even counterproductive to youth SPD. They used images, videos, and other data collected through the photovoice process to illuminate a series of opportunities for SPD practitioners to leverage the power of social media or develop interventions. This supports the healthy development of youth and simultaneously helps build stronger intergenerational social movements.