The Specific Impact of Digital Mass Media Mechanisms on the Formation of Youth Political Identity

The article examines the specific impact of digital mass media on the formation of youth political identity in the context of digitalization. The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing role of social networks and other digital platforms in the processes of political socialization, which is particularly evident in the practices of digital resource use by young people. The research methodology is based on the network approach, which makes it possible to view digital communities as independent actors of the political process. The empirical part of the study focuses on the analysis of hashtags as a special mechanism of political communication. It is established that network-based political identity is characterized by hybridity, situationality, and ideological multidimensionality, while its formation relies not so much on rational mechanisms as on the effects of imitation and contagion. The scientific novelty of the study lies in identifying the correlation between youth digital behavior patterns and the specifics of their political identification, which should be taken into account when developing strategies of governmental and social influence in the digital environment.