This paper examines how young people in Germany are confronted with hegemonic orders and processes of othering on social media. Drawing on the concept of post-digitality developed by Jandrić et al., theories of platform capitalism, Gramsci’s and Hall’s theory of hegemony, and Giroux’s critical pedagogy, social media are understood as informal educational spaces in which meanings, belonging and devaluation are continuously negotiated. An analysis of quantitative studies on media use shows that young people do not merely observe these processes in their post-digital lifeworlds but are often directly affected by them. Social media therefore function as informal educational spaces in which hegemonic ideas of belonging, normality and deviation are conveyed and reinforced. Finally, the findings are discussed in the light of critically reflective media education, which is understood as a key prerequisite for enabling young people to recognise digital power relations, question processes of othering and develop democratic forms of agency in digital publics.
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- Daniela Haindl (Author), 2026, Teenagers and Their Post Digital Lifeworld. Hegemony and Othering on Social Media, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1697629
