Shaping ideological and political discourse among college students: the role of social media
研究调查了716名中国大学生，发现社交媒体上的思想政治话语对学生的价值取向、媒体素养和批判性思维有积极影响，可用于提升沟通实践效果。
The aim is to examine the influence of social media communication on the formation of ideological and political discourse among Chinese youth. The study sample comprised 716 college students from China. The research utilized the Critical Thinking Test by L. Stark, a Media Literacy Assessment Test, and a Personal Values Orientation Test. The initial hypothesis that social media communication practices do not affect critical thinking, beliefs, and value orientations among college students was refuted. The results demonstrate the positive influence of ideological and political discourse on social media in shaping value orientations (correlation coefficient > 0.7), as well as media literacy skills (8.87 ± 0.38 points) and critical thinking (17.58 ± 0.41 points) among students. The activity of Chinese students in social media and their participation in ideological and political discourse is confirmed by the high level of orientation towards communication (30.78 ± 0.75 points) and socio-political activity (27.80 ± 0.28 points). The results of the study can be used to improve the effectiveness of communication practices in social media in the context of ideological and political discourse, promoting the development of critical thinking, value orientations, and patriotic beliefs among Chinese college students. These results are of interest not only at the local level but also in the global context of a multicultural educational environment, contributing to the creation of a positive image of the Chinese state. Future research is planned to focus on examining the characteristics of college students’ participation in ideological and political discourse depending on their chosen professions.