Young people, Participation, and Communication. Analysis of Current Communication Practices and Policies of Higher Education Students in Chile and Ecuador

Abstract

The university is an appropriate field to explore the changes that student movements have undergone, and the ways in which they operate communicationally and politically to influence public and private affairs. This study problematizes the practices of political participation and the communication strategies carried out by students to make their demands visible in two Chilean universities and in one Ecuadorian one. It is sought to analyze and compare the processes of planning and implementation of communication actions from the most representative student movements of each university, in order to understand the moment in which the groups are found in terms of legitimacy, mobilization capacity, and incidence. The methodology included semi-structured interviews with members of the groups, and through the critical analysis of discourse, the meeting and disagreement points were established on the categories analyzed. The results indicate that, although certain forms of communication and organizational production that are close to traditional political parties still persist, the almost generalized depoliticization of students has led to the implementation of tactics ranging from individual rather than collective interests, such as clubs and the generation of interests and affects through social networks, among which Facebook is located as the main means of information and interaction.