Social media design for youth political expression: Testing the roles of identifiability and geo-boundedness

Abstract

Previous research has examined how political expression on social media can affect young people’s engagement in political life. Yet a focus on dominant platforms (i.e. Facebook) and a lack of experimental studies have impeded theoretical understanding of how different features and affordances shape youth political expression. This study used a novel experimental paradigm to test how the design of social media sites can influence young people’s political expression. Participants (18–24 years) interacted with a fictional social media app that was manipulated in terms of identifiability and geo-boundedness. Users in anonymous (vs identifiable) environments reported less political self-presentation concern and were more likely to express their political opinions. In addition, unbounded (non-local) environments were perceived as better places to exert political voice and influence than bounded (local) environments. This study offers a promising starting point for studying and designing social media in which youth political expression can flourish.