Disinformation and Political Polarization: A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Media to Develop Political Biases in Pakistan

Authors

  • Iqra Riasat MS Scholar, Applied Anthropology at Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Bahria University E-8 Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Majid Hussain Alias Ghalib Hussain Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Bahria University E-8 Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Abdul Rasheed Visiting Faculty Member, Department of Development Studies National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2025(6-I)13

Keywords:

Disinformation, Political Polarization, Social Media, University, Political Affilation

Abstract

This study aims to find the outcomes of disinformation being spread through social media and practices leading to youth following and trusting in such information blindly without any authentication. Pakistani society went through a socio-cultural and political change with the introduction of internet technology. Under the western concepts of human rights, the social media provides freedom of speech and freedom of thoughts. This study was qualitative in nature, including online content analysis, participant observation, indepth interviews, and focused group discussions. Through purposive sampling, the youth of Quaid-I-Azam University and PMAS Arid Agriculture University, aged 20 to 30 year, was selected and 24 in-depth interviews were conducted. Social media has a positive impact for the growth of a balanced society, but in the context of Pakistan the use of social media is for developing political biases through disinformation brings forth a political polarization. Consequently, political biasness and intolerance are observed very common among youth. There is need to develop new policies to protect

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Published

2025-01-17

Details

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    PDF Downloads: 23

How to Cite

Riasat, I., Hussain, M. H. A. G., & Rasheed, A. (2025). Disinformation and Political Polarization: A Qualitative Study on the Role of Social Media to Develop Political Biases in Pakistan. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 6(1), 136–148. https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2025(6-I)13

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025): January to March

Section

Articles

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