Young Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): Young Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Youth Political Engagement and Democratic Communicative Action in the Digital Public Sphere

Khoiriyah Nasution (Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara)



Article Info

Publish Date
14 Aug 2026

Abstract

Digital media have expanded opportunities for young people to participate in political life; however, increased participation does not automatically lead to higher-quality democracy. This study analyzes how Jürgen Habermas’s theory of communicative action can be used to assess young people’s political engagement in Indonesia’s digital public sphere. The study employs a qualitative literature review design based on library research sources. The findings indicate that the democratic quality of young people’s digital political participation can be understood through three interrelated dimensions: epistemic responsibility in producing and disseminating political information; inclusive dialogue grounded in equality, reason-giving, and openness to criticism; and communicative ethics that protect human dignity while constraining domination, intimidation, and personal attacks. These three dimensions confront platform logic driven by virality, echo chambers, filter bubbles, misinformation, identity polarization, and low-cost symbolic participation. The article therefore shifts the analysis of young people’s political participation from the intensity of engagement toward the quality of communicative action. Its principal contribution is a three-dimensional framework for explaining when digital political participation strengthens deliberative democracy and when it becomes distorted by strategic forms of communication

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Journal Info

Abbrev

yjssh

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Social Sciences

Description

Young Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (YJSSH) is an academic journal which focuses on social and humanistic issues, both of a conceptual and an empirical nature. The journal uses a multidisciplinary perspective with a focus on the main issue. The journal is open to all to contribute to it, ...