LGTBIQ+ youth and information on current affairs: consumer habits, influencer following and polarising attitudes
Abstract
Recent studies show that social media has replaced traditional media as the main source of information, especially among young people, for whom Instagram and TikTok have become key information channels. Much of the content consumed comes from influencers, who capture more attention than journalistic agents. In parallel, social media has been a space of disinformation for highly polarised debates on LGBTIQ+ issues, as seen with the Spanish Trans Law (Law 4/2023) debate. This research analyses how LGBTBIQ+ youth consume political information, focusing on their following of influencers and their opinions on issues related to sexual and gender diversity. The work is based on a qualitative empirical study with ten interviews with young people aged 20-28 in the Barcelona metropolitan area (Catalonia). The results show that this social group considers itself to be quite autonomous in its search for current affairs information, mainly through Instagram, search engines and alternative media. The following of influencers is scarce, although it stands out among lesbian women, who question the timeliness of the Trans Law, an issue on which there is a clear polarisation of positions and, in some cases, attitudes of rejection of dialogue.
Keywords
polarisation, media consumption, influencers, LGBTIQ+, young peopleReferences
BOSCO, A. y VERNEY, S. (2020). «Polarisation in Southern Europe: Elites, Party Conflicts and Negative Partisanship». South European Society and Politics, 25(3-4), 257-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2020.1971444 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2020.1971444
BOXELL, L.; GENTZKOW, M. y SHAPIRO, J. M. (2017). «Greater Internet use is not associated with faster growth in political polarization among US demographic groups». Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(40), 10612-10617. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706588114 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706588114
CARRATALÁ, A. (2023). «Disinformation and Sexual and Gender Diversity in Spain: Twitter Users’ Response, and the Perception of LGBTQI+ Organisations». Social Sciences, 12(4), 206. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12040206 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12040206
CARRATALÁ, A. y PERIS-BLANES, À. (2023). «(Des)“infoentretenimiento” en los magazines televisivos de actualidad: Sesgos y bulos a propósito de la “ley trans”». En: CARRATALÁ, A.; IRANZO-CABRERA, M. y LÓPEZ GARCÍA, G. (eds.). De la desinformación a la conspiración: Política y comunicación ante un escenario mediático híbrido. Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch.
CHADWICK, A. (2013). The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power. Oxford: Oxford Studies in Digital Politics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199759477.001.0001
COLUSSI, J.; GARCÍA-ESTÉVEZ, N. y BALLESTEROS-AGUAYO, L. (2024). «Polarización y odio contra la Ley Trans de España en TikTok». Revista ICONO 14: Revista Científica de Comunicación y Tecnologías Emergentes, 22(1), e2088. https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v22i1.2088 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v22i1.2088
CRESPO-MARTÍNEZ, I.; MELERO-LÓPEZ, I.; MORA-RODRÍGUEZ, A. y ROJO-MARTÍNEZ, J. M. (2024). «Política, uso de medios y polarización afectiva en España». Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación, 15(2), e26681. https://doi.org/10.14198/MEDCOM.26681 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14198/MEDCOM.26681
GARMENDIA MADARIAGA, A. y RIERA, P. (2022). «Territorial Polarisation after Radical Parties’ Breakthrough in Spain». South European Society and Politics, 27(1), 51-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2022.2038943 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2022.2038943
GARRIDO, A.; MARTÍNEZ RODRÍGUEZ, M. A. y MORA RODRÍGUEZ, A. (2023). «Polarización afectiva en España». Más Poder Local, 45, 21-40. Recuperado de https://www.maspoderlocal.com/index.php/mpl/article/view/polarizacion-afectiva-en-espana-mpl45
HENDRICKX, J. (2024). «‘Normal news is boring’: How young adults encounter and experience news on Instagram and TikTok». New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241255955 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241255955
INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICA (2024). Encuesta sobre Equipamiento y Uso de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) en los Hogares. Año 2024. Recuperado de https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=estadistica_C&cid=1254736176741&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735976608
LI, M. (2022). «Influence for social good: Exploring the roles of influencer identity and comment section in Instagram-based LGBTQ-centric corporate social responsibility advertising». International Journal of Advertising, 41(3), 462-499. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.1884399 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.1884399
MARTÍNEZ VALERIO, L. y MAYAGOITIA SORIA, A. M. (2021). «Influencers y mensajes de odio: Jóvenes y consumo de contenidos autocensurados». Revista Prisma Social, 34, 4-39.
MAYORDOMO ZAPATA, C. (2021). «Diferencias de género y edad en la polarización afectiva española: ¿Quién está más polarizado?». Más Poder Local, 45, 147-161.
MONTAGUT, M.; WILLEM, C. y CARRILLO, N. (2023). «“Influencers” y desorden informativo alrededor de la ‘ley trans’». En: CARRATALÁ, A.; IRANZO CABRERA, M. y LÓPEZ GARCÍA, G. (eds.). De la desinformación a la conspiración: Política y comunicación ante un escenario mediático híbrido. Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch.
MONTEIRO, R. y VACA-NARVAJA, H. (2022). «La polarización en las redes sociales: Actores, burbujas e intensidades». Temas y Problemas de Comunicación, 20, 52-62. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7447088
NEWMAN, N.; FLETCHER, R.; EDDY, K.; ROBERTSON, C. T. y KLEIS NIELSEN, R. (2023). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023. Reuters Institute / University of Oxford.
ORRIOLS, L. y LEÓN, S. (2020). «Looking for Affective Polarisation in Spain: PSOE and Podemos from Conflict to Coalition». South European Society and Politics, 25(3-4), 351-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2021.1911440 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2021.1911440
PALAU-SAMPIO, D.; CARRATALÁ, A.; TARULLO, R. y CRISÓSTOMO, P. (2022). «Quality recognition as a prescriber against disinformation». Comunicar, 72, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.3916/C72-2022-05 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3916/C72-2022-05
PHILLIPS, J. (2022). «Affective Polarization: Over Time, Through the Generations, and During the Lifespan». Political Behavior, 44, 1483-1508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-022-09784-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-022-09784-4
REGO REY, S. y ROMERO-RODRÍGUEZ, L. M. (2016). «Representación discursiva y lenguaje de los ‘youtubers’ españoles: Estudio de caso de los ‘gamers’ más populares». Index-comunicación, 6(1).
REILJAN, A. (2020). «‘Fear and loathing across party lines’ (also) in Europe: Affective polarisation in European party systems». European Journal of Political Research, 59(2), 376-396. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12351 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12351
RODRÍGUEZ-VIRGILI, J.; PORTILLA-MANJÓN, I. y SIERRA-ISO, A. (2022). «Cuarenta años de polarización ideológica en España». Revista Empresa y Humanismo, 25(2), 75-103. https://doi.org/10.15581/015.XXV.2.75-103 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15581/015.XXV.2.75-103
SEGLERS, T. (2022). «Entrevista a Elisabeth Duval». El Crític. Recuperado de https://www.elcritic.cat/entrevistes/elizabeth-duval-cuando-sali-del-armario-el-colegio-catolico-al-que-iba-me-invito-a-irme-119236 [Consulta: 16/11/2024].
SIMÓN, P. (2020). «The Multiple Spanish Elections of April and May 2019: The Impact of Territorial and Left-right Polarisation». South European Society and Politics, 25(3-4), 441-474. https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2020.1756612 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2020.1756612
TERÁN, I. (2021). «Samantha Hudson». TSQ, 8(4), 557-558. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-9311242 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-9311242
TORTAJADA, I.; WILLEM, C.; PLATERO, R. L. y ARAÜNA, N. (2021). «Lost in transition?: Digital trans activism on YouTube». Information, Communication & Society, 24(8), 1091-1107. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1797850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1797850
TYLER, M. e IYENGAR, S. (2023). «Learning to Dislike Your Opponents: Political Socialization in the Era of Polarization». American Political Science Review, 117(1), 347-354. https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305542200048X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305542200048X
TUDOL, J.; ABDUL AZIZ, A. y MOHAMED, S. (2022). «Public perception on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual instafamous credibility in promoting products on Instagram». Journal of Media and Information Warfare, 15(1), 32-44.
WILLEM, C. y TORTAJADA, I. (2021). «Gender, Voice and Online Space: Expressions of Feminism on Social Media in Spain». Media and Communication, 9(2), 62-71. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i2.3851 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i2.3851
Published
How to Cite
Downloads
Funding data
-
Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Grant numbers PID2021-125032OB-I00
Copyright (c) 2025 Adolfo Carratalá, Gonzalo Iturregui-Gallardo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
