Scrolling toward solidarity? Two studies of political social media engagement, activist intentions, and labor‐movement attitudes

Abstract

Political social media activity is often understood to express preexisting political orientations, but during emerging adulthood it may also serve as a vehicle for political socialization and shifts in mobilization‐relevant attitudes. Across two studies, we tested whether political social media activity, especially engagement with labor‐movement content, was associated with activist intentions, political solidarity with workers, and anti‐worker bias. In Study 1, undergraduates ( N = 212) completed a 14‐day daily diary study. On days when participants reported engaging in a broader range of political action categories on social media and devoting a greater proportion of their social media activity to politics, they also reported stronger activist intentions. In Study 2, undergraduates ( N = 99) completed a 9‐day field intervention using anonymous Mastodon accounts to engage with curated labor‐focused organizing content. On intervention days, participants reported higher activist intentions and greater solidarity with workers than on non‐intervention days. From baseline to post‐intervention, participants also showed increased activist intentions and solidarity with workers and reduced implicit anti‐worker bias. Explicit class attitudes, class consciousness, and subjective vitality did not reliably change. Together, findings support a movement‐centered account in which digital political activity can help constitute, rather than merely express, orientations toward action and solidarity.