The Impact of Changes on Twitter on Transnational Political Participation

Digital technologies and social media have expanded opportunities for youth engagement in political participation. Due to its sociopolitical context as a former socialist country, Estonian youth are even more disengaged from electoral and party politics than their counterparts in other countries. However, they remain well-informed and actively involved with global political issues such as climate activism, LGBTQ+ rights, BLM, and other social movements. Social media plays a crucial role in shaping their political views.

This paper focuses on young people who have primarily been politically active on Twitter (now known as X). The empirical section is based on an ethnographic study conducted on Twitter during the spring of 2022 and the autumn of 2024, complemented by open-ended interviews with the same participants during both periods. The analysis examines the impact of changes within Twitter on their political engagement. Formerly, Twitter facilitated global mobilisation; however, recent transformations have raised concerns about disinformation and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI).

The analysis indicates that participants recognise the rise in misleading information and express concerns about their ability to identify false content and the increasing use of AI. Previously active Twitter users now hesitate to rely on the platform for news consumption and political organising, especially during times of global crises. With the proliferation of bots, participants no longer view Twitter as a platform conducive to meaningful political discussions. Some former users have partially migrated to Instagram and other platforms. Additionally, they now turn to established media outlets for international news, which they had previously accessed on Twitter, and offline discussions around global movements have intensified.