JLP Journal of Law And Politics JLP 2671-342X 2671-3438 Balkan University Press 10.69648/OFBK2896 186 Research Article UNPACKING THE DEBATE: WHAT YOUTUBE COMMENTS REVEAL ABOUT POLITICAL EQUALITY IN AMERICA Sumrahadi Abdullah Gurning Agriffina Evita Martha Aryodiguno Harryanto President University, Jababeka, Indonesia & Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia President University, Jababeka, Indonesia 30 04 2025 6 1 1 19 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Technological advancement and political engagement have positioned social media platforms as salient forces in the contemporary political sphere. Notably, YouTube has evolved into a prominent medium, surpassing conventional media constraints and redefining political information dissemination and reception modalities. This paper investigates YouTube’s function within the United States political context, scrutinizing its influence on public opinion formation, political discourse, and democratic mechanisms. Specifically, by analyzing audience sentiment expressed in comment sections of popular news and political channels addressing socio-economic equality within the United States, this study aims to delineate the factors that modulate audience engagement with political content. By elucidating these dynamic interactions, this investigation contributes to a refined comprehension of how digital platforms, such as YouTube, construct political narratives and facilitate democratic participation. The resultant findings offer critical insights for scholarly discourse concerning digital democracy, civic engagement, and the evolving paradigm of digital political communication.

 YouTube political engagement public opinion digital democracy social media platforms References Alzubi, A. (2023). The evolving relationship between digital and conventional media: A study of media consumption habits in the digital era. The Progress: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 4 (3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.71016/tp/jjexez32 10.71016/tp/jjexez32 Boulianne, S., Hoffmann, C. P., & Bossetta, M. (2024). Social media platforms for politics: A comparison of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241262415 10.1177/14614448241262415 Bowyer, B. T., Kahne, J. E., & Middaugh, E. (2017). Youth comprehension of political messages in YouTube videos. New Media & Society, 19 (4), 522–541. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815611593 10.1177/1461444815611593 Claire, H., Vogel, C., & Laurent, D. (2016). Internet research methods. Sage. Donnellan, J., McDonald, M., & Edmondson, M. (2020). Impact of social media on consumer buying patterns. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 12 (3), 71. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijms.v12n3p71 10.5539/ijms.v12n3p71 Finlayson, A. (2022). YouTube and political ideologies: Technology, populism and rhetorical form. Political Studies, 70 (1), 62–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321720934630 10.1177/0032321720934630 Fujiwara, T., Muller, K., & Schwarz, C. (2024). The effect of social media on elections: Evidence from the United States. Journal of the European Economic Association, 22 (3), 1495–1539. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeea/jvad058 10.1093/jeea/jvad058 Gallarotti, G. M. (2015). Smart power: Definitions, importance, and effectiveness. Journal of Strategic Studies, 38 (3), 245–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2014.1002912 10.1080/01402390.2014.1002912 Gray, C. S. (2011). Hard power and soft power: The utility of military force as an instrument of policy in the 21st century. US Army War College Press. https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/581 10.21236/ada542526 Hoferer, M., Bottcher, L., Herrmann, H. J., & Gersbach, H. (2020). The impact of technologies in political campaigns. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications, 538 , 122795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2019.122795 10.1016/j.physa.2019.122795 Jin, D. Y. (2024). The rise of digital platforms as a soft power apparatus in the new Korean Wave era. Communication and the Public, 9 (2), 161–177. https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473241234204 10.1177/20570473241234204 Kaleem, M. (2023). The impact of the use of soft power in social media on public diplomacy for international co-existence. International Journal of Membrane Science and Technology, 10 (3), 372–388. https://doi.org/10.15379/ijmst.v10i3.1541 10.15379/ijmst.v10i3.1541 Koechlin, E. (2018). LaChrystal D. Ricke, The impact of YouTube on U.S. politics . InMedia, 7 (1). https://doi.org/10.4000/inmedia.1328 10.4000/inmedia.1328 Kolotaev, Y., & Kollnig, K. (2021). Political influence of online platforms: YouTube’s place in European politics. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. International Relations, 14 (2), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu06.2021.206 10.21638/spbu06.2021.206 Kozinets, R. V. (2020). Netnography: The essential guide to qualitative social media research. Sage. Kozinets, R. V., & Gretzel, U. (2024). Netnography evolved: New contexts, scope, procedures, and sensibilities. Annals of Tourism Research, 104 , 103693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2023.103693 10.1016/j.annals.2023.103693 Luders, A., Dinkelberg, A., & Quayle, M. (2022). Becoming “us” in digital spaces: How online users creatively and strategically exploit social media affordances to build up social identity. Acta Psychologica, 228 , 103643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103643 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103643 Mostafa, M. M., Feizollah, A., & Anuar, N. B. (2023). Fifteen years of YouTube scholarly research: Knowledge structure, collaborative networks, and trending topics. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 82 (8), 12423–12443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-022-13908-7 10.1007/s11042-022-13908-7 Nassaji, H. (2020). Good qualitative research. Language Teaching Research, 24 (4), 427–431. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820941288 10.1177/1362168820941288 Olaniran, B., & Williams, I. (2020). Social media effects: Hijacking democracy and civility in civic engagement. In Social Media: Communication, Sharing and Visibility in a Networked World (pp. 77–94). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36525-7_5 10.1007/978-3-030-36525-7_5 Oloo, O. D. (2021). Exploring the social media culture of commenting: YouTube users’ sentiments of “misinformation” on international news media sphere. Social Communication, 22 (1), 90–100. https://doi.org/10.2478/sc-2021-0009 10.2478/sc-2021-0009 Ricke, L. D. (2014). The impact of YouTube on U.S. politics. Lexington Books. Setiawan, H., Pawito, & Purwasito, A. (2020). YouTube social media trends reduce television watching interest. In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Social and Political Sciences (ICOSAPS 2020) . https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201219.019 10.2991/assehr.k.201219.019 Sui, W., Sui, A., & Rhodes, R. E. (2022). What to watch: Practical considerations and strategies for using YouTube for research. Digital Health, 8 , 205520762211237. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221123707 10.1177/20552076221123707 Tarvin, E. (2021). From screen to shining screen: Representations of YouTube as a democratic platform for a community of authentic creators (Master’s thesis, University of Central Florida). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020- , 771. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2020/771 Thornton, S. (2009). Seven days in the art world. W. W. Norton & Company. Timcke, S. (2021). Algorithms and the end of politics: How technology shapes 21st-century American life. Bristol University Press. Viljoen, K. L. A. (2022). Netnography: An underapplied research method. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 25 (1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v25i1.4891 10.4102/sajems.v25i1.4891 Vlahovic, A., Ercegovac, I., & Tankosic, M. (2023). Unraveling the narrative structures in YouTube vlogs: A qualitative content analysis. Media Studies and Applied Ethics, 4 (2), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.46630/msae.2.2023.03 10.46630/msae.2.2023.03