University students and cyberpolitical practices on twitter, case: presidential elections in Colombia 2018

Abstract

The article investigates Twitter’s influence on Colombia’s 2018 presidential campaign, focusing on young university students as key actors in the development of digital nationalities. Through surveys, focus groups and detailed content analysis, central issues for youth were addressed, such as peace, employment, environment, education, gender, and politics. The results highlight how Twitter becomes a space where political discussion is transformed into entertainment, which hides the boundaries between rational arguments and polarized opinions. This dynamic contributes to the creation of prejudiced groups, where information is compartmentalized, and a fragmented reality is created. Despite the increasing use of Twitter by young people to inform themselves about political issues, the data reflect a skeptical view of the real power of the platform to generate substantial change or promote authentic political pluralism. In this context, political campaigns on Twitter are perceived as strategies that exploit emotions and polarize opinions, rather than presenting viable solutions to social problems. In addition, young people, aware of these dynamics, use Twitter mainly to interact with issues that interest them, but not always to make informed political decisions, due to distrust of media discourses. The research also reveals that social media, while facilitating access to information, does not always promote constructive debate. The campaigns of the main contenders in the election used the platform to position themselves and connect with young people. However, the results indicate that, in many cases, the expectations of the students were not reflected in the proposals presented, generating disenchantment with the political promises.