Mediated Participation Among Stateside Puerto Rican Youth: Political Networking, Voting, and Trump’s Lingering Impact

Abstract

The growth and youthification of the Puerto Rican community and the increased attention of political organizations on their electoral participation raise important questions about youth political culture in the digital era. This exploratory study examines the political culture of stateside Puerto Rican youth with emphasis on their attitudes toward the political process and online participation habits. Drawing on 18 semi-structured interviews, this study found that young Puerto Ricans wrestle with contrasting perceptions about the political process, voicing dissatisfaction with the electoral college while stressing the importance of voting as a complementary activity to other kinds of political involvement. A majority of participants cited opposition to Trump and his policies as a primary motivator to vote and consume political information. Participants also found social media attractive to build political networks, become involved in social movements, and express and exchange political ideas. They simultaneously highlighted social media’s paradoxically disempowering effects, particularly around undiplomatic discourse, and how it relegates some users to the more passive role of political spectators.