Algorithmic dynamics and youth resistance to racism on social media: affordances and experiences on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube

Abstract

Purpose: This study offers an in-depth understanding of how young people analyse and confront racism on social media, drawing on evidence generated through a focus group specifically designed to explore their perceptions, experiences, and strategies. The analysis emphasises the ways in which platform technological architectures shape, amplify, or modulate these phenomena. Methodology: Using an interpretive qualitative approach, a focus group was conducted with young people who are active social media users. Through inductive and deductive coding, we examined their perceptions, attitudes, and experiences on platforms such as Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube, paying particular attention to how the technical features of these platforms may enable or hinder the circulation of racist and anti-racist content. Results: Most participants (54.4%) reported encountering discriminatory behaviours online, ranging from explicit forms of racism to normalised microaggressions. They highlighted the influence of algorithms on the virality of polarising content, as well as the role of anonymity in intensifying hostile behaviours. Their responses included both individual strategies (blocking, reporting) and collective actions linked to digital activism. Conclusions: The study sheds light on how certain groups of young people perceive and respond to digital racism, underscoring the need to advance critical digital literacy and to promote the ethical redesign of social media platforms.