Abstract
This thesis explores social media behaviors of young adults when it comes to engaging with controversial issues on social media. Through my investigation of college students and recent college graduates between the ages of 18-25, I set out to answer the following questions: What motivates users to engage, or not engage, in controversial issues on social media? What makes some topical issues more likely to be debated on social media? Do people feel pressure to engage with controversial issues because they are trending topics, or are people genuinely passionate about the topic? Do they believe that posting about controversial issues is effective in solving the problem? Survey data was gathered from 23 individuals through interviews, who spoke more in depth about their social media experiences with controversy. Respondents explained factors that drove them to follow, like, and comment on posts about controversial topics, as well as aspects that encouraged them to get involved with heated discussions online. The responses brought up an interesting contradiction between how people post on social media and how they view the effectiveness of social media. Overall, a majority of respondents found social media to be ineffective in solving controversial issues Most respondents have similar motivations for engaging with controversy on social media, yet they remain critical of their fellow peers who post about contentious topics, calling their actions performative. Ultimately, it is concluded that all kinds of engagement on social media can be seen as performative, as one’s image is an unconscious guide to decisions to post or not post. Additionally, the study finds that while most respondents recognize that posting on social media is not going to automatically fix societal problems, raising awareness on social media can still be beneficial in pursuing long term solutions.