The Influence of Social Media on Youth Political Participation: Exploring Engagement, Activism, and Voter Behavior in the Digital Age

Abstract

Social media platforms have exponentially transformed political participation patterns in youth such as engagement, activism and voters behavior. The focus of this study is to understand to what extent and in what ways social media influences youth political participation in terms of forming political views, promoting activism and influencing voter behavior in the digital era. A quantitative survey was administered to 18 to 30 year old youth from a variety of urban areas, alongside qualitative in depth interviews. Results indicate that social media is a significant tool for political engagement, as 68% of the respondents participate in political discussion and 55% of them say social media influences their voting decisions. Also, we see youth increasingly engage in online political activism: 52 percent join political groups while 44 percent join online petitions. Challenges such as misinformation and echo chambers were identified and many participants noted that political content online was not reliable. Findings reveal both the capacity for social media to foster youth political empowerment and the danger of misinformation. Study demands for media literacy programs to be strengthened and for the need of critical engagement other than being a conduit for purposeful propagation of democracy.