Going deeper: Social media use and the development of democratic attitudes in Latin America

The deepening of democracy in developing regions requires that individuals support their political systems not only through democratic behaviours but also through the continual strengthening of democratic attitudes. Traditional news media have long held a favoured position when it comes to understanding democracy. Now social media has emerged as a new and exciting communication technology. This project explores social media use and the unique way in which media affect Latin Americans’ attitudes. Empirical analysis of survey data from eight Latin American states supports social media as a ‘public sphere’ where participants hold attitudes that are more democratic, separable from traditional media as well as general Internet use