The Role of Social Media in Political Awareness and Engagement among University Students: A Quantitative Study

Abstract

This study was designed to explore the role of social media in influencing political awareness and engagement among university students and was delimited to public and private sector universities of Sialkot. Recognizing the fact that social media have become an important medium of political information in the digital age, allowing young people to actively participate in online political activities. The study is descriptive in nature and quantitative in approach. A standard Likert-scale questionnaire was used to sample 384 students in public and private universities. Majority of respondents indicated increased awareness, but fewer translated this to offline political engagement. Exposure to alternative opinions was also restricted due to misinformation, partisan narratives, and echo chambers. The paper indicates that although online networks may contribute to increased awareness, it does not secure effective participation in civic activities. It recommends digital literacy, collaborative action of universities, platforms, and policymakers to bridge the digitalized gap between internet activity and political activity in real life.