How Social Media Participation Impact Identity and Civic Engagement? A Study of Intersection of School Bullying Content on Social Media, Identity and Civic Engagement
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study mainly investigates how social media use impact users identity and civic engagement. In this study, we are looking into the topic of school bullying issue on social media. The popularity of social media has allowed more incidents of school bullying to come to light and generate public discussion. In order to gain a nuanced understanding of the relationship between social media, identity and civic engagement, this study collected the opinions of 197 participants through a questionnaire, resulting in 193 valid samples. The results suggest that engaging in social media content related to school bullying strengthens one's sense of identity and social responsibility, and promotes participation in anti-bullying social activities. This study used a quantitative method to collect data through an online questionnaire. The survey design was divided into two parts, with the first part containing basic information about the participants and their social media usage, and the second part exploring the participants' understanding of and reaction to a highly publicised incident of school bullying on Chinese social media as an example. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used for data analysis. It was found that users who engaged in school bullying content were more likely to actively participate in relevant social discussions, enhance their understanding of social phenomena, and demonstrate stronger civic engagement behaviours in real life. This provides valuable insights for policymakers, educational institutions and social media platforms aimed at promoting positive interactions and civic engagement in society.
Authors: Mengyi He, Yingying Wang, Yuanhong Wang
Institutions: Zhengzhou University, University of Leeds
Language: English
Topic: Social Media and Politics
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4408420182