Digital campaigns in social networks: Impact of political content on the electoral decision of young people

Rodriguez-Saavedra M.O.; Sarolli A.E.D.; Galindo I.C.; Ascuña L.M.C.; Gonzales A.V.M.; Colana A.S.S.; Cabe R.B.A.; Prado E.A.D. · Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies (2026) · DOI: 10.30935/ojcmt/18336

Resumen

This study aimed to analyze how digital campaigns on social media influence young people’s electoral decisions, integrating qualitative and quantitative evidence. A mixed design was applied with 200 interviews processed using Atlas.ti and 400 surveys modeled with partial least squares structural equation model in SmartPLS 4, ensuring reliability and validity (composite reliability ≥ 0.839; average variance extracted ≥ 0.640). The qualitative findings identified twelve discursive patterns, highlighting emotional storytelling, viral aesthetics, youth language, and humorous reappropriation as axes of connection and symbolic participation, while emotions such as inspiration, indignation, and empathy mobilized decisions, and fear and disillusionment discouraged participation. Quantitatively, the model explained 82.8% of the political effect (PE), with cognitive linkage as the main predictor (β = 0.935), emotional impact influencing cultural and performative evaluation (β = 0.687) and the latter showing a negative effect on the PE (β =-0.306). Political narrative (PN) had a strong impact on critical content evaluation (CCE) (β = 1.006). There was no modeled direct path from PN to PE; the low coefficient (β = 0.095) corresponds to CCE → PE and was not statistically significant. It is concluded that youth political behavior is constructed in the interaction between emotion and cognition: cultural and affective codes activate symbolic participation, while rational understanding consolidates the voting decision, showing that authenticity and emotional resonance weigh more than programmatic discourse in electoral preferences.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa; Universidad Continental; Universidad Nacional de Moquegua; Universidad Católica de Santa María