Communication, Social Media, and Youth. The Emergence of Self-Care and Care for Others in Social Protests

Abstract

The research “Unarmed Civil Self-Protection of Youth in Social Protests in Colombia”, conducted by the Pontificia Bolivariana University (PBU), took place in four Colombian cities: Medellín, Bucaramanga, Palmira, and Montería (2022-2024). Its focus was to uncover the self-care strategies used by young people involved in social protests, through workshops. In each city, thematic discussions were held to listen to and understand some of the experiences of young people during the protests. This information was later analyzed using Iramuteq software, revealing key concepts such as: protest, social, network, and youth. In the thematic table “Expressions of Communication in Social Protest” from the aforementioned research, one of the questions explored was: What did they communicate to society with their shared stories on social media? The responses from young participants showed their commitment to inform others (from their perspective) about what happened on the streets, and how the use of social media enabled them to redefine the act of protesting, while also highlighting how they took care of themselves and others, using social networks in some cases. In this regard, the communication practiced by youth through their digital devices moves beyond a select few and becomes a democratizing act of communication. Sharing some of these experiences reveals that communication and social media did not merely serve as channels during the protest but transformed into modes of self-care and care for others.