How did social media impact Youth organizing in 2020?

Click to download: “Unpacking Social Media’s Role in Sociopolitical Development amidst the Dual pandemics: perspectives of Marginalized Adolescent Organizers.”

• By: Angie Malorni & Sara Wilf (2025); Brief By: Ashley Orr

This article, published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence, explores how social media shaped the political and social growth of young activists during a period the researchers call the "dual pandemics" (COVID-19 pandemic and rising awareness of structural racism, particularly anti-Black and anti-Asian hate). Researchers interviewed 11 racial and gender-marginalized youth organizers, ages 14 to 19, who have been involved in online and offline organizing.

Three central themes emerged about how this unique time changed their lives and activism:

1. Social Media became the “Main Classroom”

   • With schools closed, young people had more time on their hands. Social media became the primary place where they learned and engaged with one another. The focus on social justice issues during the dual pandemics shifted the kinds of things they were learning.

     • Self-Education: Youth used platforms like Instagram and TikTok to learn about complex topics like mutual aid, abolition, and White supremacy. These are topics they didn’t learn about in school. They engaged with content that shared what was going on in the present and then how those issues have been historically and systematically embedded in society

     • Building Language for Collective Dialogue: It helped them find the words to describe their own experiences with discrimination and see that their personal struggles were part of a larger collective struggle.

2. Shift from Engaging with Institutions to Focusing on Community-Based Work

   • Watching videos of police brutality and the government’s response to the pandemic online led many participants to lose faith in traditional systems.

     • Institutional Distrust: Many felt that the U.S. was "set up to exploit" people, leading them to pull away from traditional political parties or voting as the only solution.

     • Collective Identity: Youth expressed a sense of “togetherness,” and increased confidence to make change by seeing others online do the same.

     • Shifting Strategy: Instead of relying on politicians, they turned to "mutual aid"— direct, community-based support where neighbors help neighbors with food, money, or resources.

3. Taking a Toll on Mental Health and Activism

   • While social media was a tool for change and a “spark” in activism, it also had significant downsides for mental health.

     • Activist Burnout: The constant stream of traumatic news and the pressure of the 2020 protests led many to feel "taxed" and exhausted, especially with the ongoing stress of the pandemic.

     • The "Performative" Trap: Youth felt intense pressure to post "perfect" social justice content. They often worried that others would see their posts as "performative", meaning they were following a trend for attention rather than genuinely caring.

Why This Matters

The findings of this study offer several practice implications for educators, mental health professionals, and community organizers working with youth in the digital age:

1. Integrating Critical Digital Literacy in Education

   • Beyond Traditional Civics: Because youth are turning to other spaces like social media for sociopolitical learning, traditional school curricula should evolve. Educators and practitioners should integrate critical digital literacy into civics and social justice courses to help youth navigate the complexities of online information.

   • Navigating Misinformation: Education should focus on helping students identify media bias and misinformation, as these factors can significantly impact their sociopolitical development and organizing efforts.

   2. Supporting Mental Health and Managing Burnout

   • Addressing Activist Burnout: Practitioners should recognize that intense online engagement with social justice issues, especially during crises, can lead to "activist burnout" and exhaustion.

   • Processing Traumatic Content: Social workers and counselors should be aware that frequent exposure to videos of violence and structural racism on social media can be traumatizing, particularly for youth from marginalized communities.

   • Combating the "Performativity Trap": Professionals can help youth manage the anxiety and "identity construction" pressures of social media, where they often fear being judged as "performative" or trend-following rather than genuine.

   3. Evolving Organizing Strategies

   • Embracing Mutual Aid: Since youth trust in traditional institutions and political parties has declined, organizers should lean into the mutual aid and horizontal community-based approaches that youth currently find more effective.

   • Building Intergenerational Movements: There is a need for stronger intergenerational connections where older activists can share sustainable organizing strategies with youth to help maintain long-term mobilization and prevent rapid burnout.

   • Leveraging Collective Identity: Organizers can use social media to foster a sense of "togetherness" and collective identity, which the study found to be a powerful motivator for marginalized youth to take action.

Learn More!

This work can inform social justice education with youth and help build stronger movements with well-being at the forefront. More of Dr. Malorni’s work can be found at angiemalorni.com, and Dr. Wilf’s work at sarawilf.com if you are interested in learning more about their past publications, areas of research, and/or contacting them to learn more. We are excited to have Dr. Malorni as a network organizer in our current efforts!