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Shaping ideological and political discourse among college students: the role of social media.

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Title: Shaping ideological and political discourse among college students: the role of social media.
Authors: Mingxu, Zhao (AUTHOR), Lifen, Wen (AUTHOR), Zhenhua, Li (AUTHOR)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. Jul2026, Vol. 51 Issue 7, p1403-1416. 14p.
Subjects: Social media, Political communication, Value orientations, Critical thinking, Media literacy, College students, Rhetoric & politics
Geographic Terms: China
Abstract: The aim is to examine the influence of social media communication on the formation of ideological and political discourse among Chinese youth. The study sample comprised 716 college students from China. The research utilized the Critical Thinking Test by L. Stark, a Media Literacy Assessment Test, and a Personal Values Orientation Test. The initial hypothesis that social media communication practices do not affect critical thinking, beliefs, and value orientations among college students was refuted. The results demonstrate the positive influence of ideological and political discourse on social media in shaping value orientations (correlation coefficient > 0.7), as well as media literacy skills (8.87 ± 0.38 points) and critical thinking (17.58 ± 0.41 points) among students. The activity of Chinese students in social media and their participation in ideological and political discourse is confirmed by the high level of orientation towards communication (30.78 ± 0.75 points) and socio-political activity (27.80 ± 0.28 points). The results of the study can be used to improve the effectiveness of communication practices in social media in the context of ideological and political discourse, promoting the development of critical thinking, value orientations, and patriotic beliefs among Chinese college students. These results are of interest not only at the local level but also in the global context of a multicultural educational environment, contributing to the creation of a positive image of the Chinese state. Future research is planned to focus on examining the characteristics of college students' participation in ideological and political discourse depending on their chosen professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Shaping ideological and political discourse among college students: the role of social media.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Studies+in+Higher+Education%22">Studies in Higher Education</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 51 Issue 7, p1403-1416. 14p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+media%22">Social media</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Political+communication%22">Political communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Value+orientations%22">Value orientations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+thinking%22">Critical thinking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Media+literacy%22">Media literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+students%22">College students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rhetoric+%26+politics%22">Rhetoric & politics</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The aim is to examine the influence of social media communication on the formation of ideological and political discourse among Chinese youth. The study sample comprised 716 college students from China. The research utilized the Critical Thinking Test by L. Stark, a Media Literacy Assessment Test, and a Personal Values Orientation Test. The initial hypothesis that social media communication practices do not affect critical thinking, beliefs, and value orientations among college students was refuted. The results demonstrate the positive influence of ideological and political discourse on social media in shaping value orientations (correlation coefficient > 0.7), as well as media literacy skills (8.87 ± 0.38 points) and critical thinking (17.58 ± 0.41 points) among students. The activity of Chinese students in social media and their participation in ideological and political discourse is confirmed by the high level of orientation towards communication (30.78 ± 0.75 points) and socio-political activity (27.80 ± 0.28 points). The results of the study can be used to improve the effectiveness of communication practices in social media in the context of ideological and political discourse, promoting the development of critical thinking, value orientations, and patriotic beliefs among Chinese college students. These results are of interest not only at the local level but also in the global context of a multicultural educational environment, contributing to the creation of a positive image of the Chinese state. Future research is planned to focus on examining the characteristics of college students' participation in ideological and political discourse depending on their chosen professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/03075079.2025.2512937
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Political communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Value orientations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Critical thinking
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Media literacy
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      – SubjectFull: College students
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      – SubjectFull: Rhetoric & politics
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      – SubjectFull: China
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            NameFull: Mingxu, Zhao
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            NameFull: Lifen, Wen
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              M: 07
              Text: Jul2026
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              Y: 2026
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