An empirical analysis of social media usage, political learning and participation among youth: a comparative study of Indonesia and Pakistan

Abstract

Youth participation in political matters has gained attention among people around the globe where youth involvement in certain political activities has been witnessed (of public in Indonesia and Pakistan). Keeping in view this scenario, the current study aimed to identify the sway of social media in enhancing youth involvement in political learning, political participation and political efficacy. This quantitative study was conducted through online and offline survey in both countries at the time of general elections. The data was gathered from both countries in systematic manner where the data was collected from Pakistan (General Elections, 2018) firstly and then from Indonesia (National Elections, 2019). A total of four hundred respondents (200 from each country) gave their opinions through structured questionnaires. The results revealed that the youth being considered as millennial has a significant role in contributing to the discourse of politics. The results show that the use of social media facilitates youth to participate in political activities and those activities enhance their knowledge, provide a chance to participate and build the capacity of political efficacy. It is to conclude that youth has actively engaged and use to discuss the political matters on social media to sensitize the public. As such, the role of youth, to some extent, has changed the political situations in both countries.

News Media Use and Civic Engagement: The Mediating Role of Social Capital and Civic Accountability

“…This shows that news media has direct impacts on social capital. These findings have not only supported the hypothesis 2 but also in line with the previous studies findings (Ohme, 2020;Ida, Saud, 2020;Lu, Lee, 2021;Uslaner, 1998), who in their study also found news media as a significant predictor of social capital. In this regard, the present study testifies the results of previous literature.…”

The role of social media in promoting political participation: The Lebanon experience

“…Table 2 further shows that more than one-third of the respondents (39.6%) are likely to do this. The role of social media is not only about sharing information; however, it also solidifies the efficacy of social media users when it comes to politics (Ida et al 2020). According Table 2, it can be concluded that most general (for open and analytical reasons) social media that is used for learning and participating for a political purpose may be supportive.…”

Relationship Among Social Media Uses, Internet Mediation and Political Participation in Pakistan

“…Youth worldwide use social media outlets to get political information (Yamamoto et al, 2020) and are more likely to react to political content (Jeroense et al, 2021). Ida et al (2020) researched the relationship between social media and youth involvement in political learning, participation, and efficacy. They collected data from Pakistan and Indonesia through online and offline surveys.…”