Journal of Communication and Management, 2023;2(2):98-100

Journal of Communication and Management

ISSN: 2583-617X (Online)

Journal home page: https://jcoma.com

Research Article DOI: 10.58966/JCM2023224

The Influence of Social Media Usage and Political Behaviors among

Adults
Lalitank Jain1*, Vyomkesh Pandey2
1
Faculty of Journalism & Mass Communication, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh,
India.
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Advertising, Kushabhau Thakre Journalism And Mass Communication University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: This research paper examines how social media influences how young adults engage in politics. The study
Received: 02 April, 2023 examines the connection between political behaviour and social media use. The study was carried out using
Revised: 25 may, 2023 a survey that was given to a sample of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29. Regression analysis and
Accepted: 10 June, 2023 descriptive statistics were used to analyse the survey results. The results show that young adults' political
engagement is significantly impacted by their use of social media. According to the findings, young adults
Published: 30 June, 2023 who use social media are more likely to be politically active and have a deeper understanding of politics
Keywords:
Social-Media, Political
Participation, Adults, Political
Behaviour, Digital citizenship

Introduction of communit ies cent red on shared interest s has

Young adults are increasingly using social media as a fundamentally changed how we relate to and communicate
platform for political engagement. However, the study also (Aaron, (2012).) Politics is one of the fields where social
discovered that using social media can result in polarisation media has made a significant difference. For many people,
and echo chambers, which may have detrimental effects especially young adults, social media platforms have
on political discourse and democracy Towner & Dulio, taken the place of traditional media as their main source
2012). People can now access information, participate in of political news and information. Young adults are an
political debates, and support political campaigns thanks important demographic for political engagement as they
to the growth of social media. There is, however, little are the future of our society (Social media and politics
data on how social media affects young adults’ political in central and Eastern Europe. Routledge., 2017). With
engagement (Kasmani et al., 2014). By analyzing the over 3.8 billion active social media users worldwide,
connections between social media use and young adults’
social media has become a powerful tool for political
political knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, this research
communication and mobilization, allowing political actors
article aims to close this knowledge gap (Zhuravskaya et
to reach a large audience quickly and affordably (Stieglitz
al., 2020).
& Dang-Xuan, 2013a). Despite their growing involvement
Background in political activities, young adults are frequently seen as
Social media plat for ms have quick ly become an a politically disengaged group. A unique opportunity to
indispensable part of our daily lives. The development involve young adults in political discourse and mobilization
of new forms of social interaction and the formation exists thanks to social media (M. D. Safiullah et al., 2022).

*Corresponding Author: Lalitank Jain

Address: Faculty of Journalism & Mass Communication, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh, India
Email : Mr.lalitank@gmail.com
Relevant conflicts of interest/financial disclosures: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or
financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
© 2023, Lalitank Jain This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as
long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. under the terms of the Creative Commons
 Lalitank Jain

Problem Statement Research Methods

Although social media plays an increasingly significant A sample of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29
role in political communication and mobilization, little was given a survey to complete as part of the research. The
is known about how it affects young adults’ interest in survey asked questions about political knowledge, social
politics (M. Safiullah et al., 2017). The relationship between media use, attitudes, and behaviors. Online distribution
using social media and participating in politics has been channels for the survey included social media and email.
the subject of some studies. The findings have been 300 responses in total were gathered and examined.
conflicting, and it’s still unclear why there is a connection.
Furthermore, it’s unclear to what extent young adults’ Results and Findings
use of social media influences their political awareness,
viewpoints, and behavior (Biswas et al., 2014). Descriptive Statistics
Social Media Use and Political Behaviors The study’s
Research Objectives findings revealed that social media use was linked to
This study aims to look at how young adults get involved in online and offline political behaviors among young adults.
politics and how they use social media. The specific goals People who claimed to use social media for political
of this study are to: purposes were more likely to engage in political activities
• Explore the relationship between social media use and such as discussing politics and sharing political content
political behaviors among young adults. online. However, they were not more likely to engage in
• Look at the possible good and bad effects of young adults traditional political activities like voting or attending
using social media for their political involvement. political events.
The study gathered information from 300 young adults
Research Significance between the ages of 18 and 29 who responded to an online
This study is important for a number of reasons. First survey. In order to provide a summary of the sample
off, it adds to the body of knowledge on how social characteristics and social media usage patterns, the data
media affects political participation, particularly among were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings
young adults. Second, it sheds light on the mechanisms revealed that the majority of respondents (85%) reported
underlying the link between political participation and using social media at least once a day, with Facebook being
social media use. Thirdly, it draws attention to social the most popular platform (82%). 45% of those surveyed
media’s potential advantages and disadvantages in terms said they were politically active and used social media for
of political participation, with implications for social media campaigning (e.g. following political candidates or issues).
companies, political actors, and policymakers. Finally, the Bivariate Analysis
results of this study can be used to guide media literacy
The study used bivariate analyses to examine the
programmes and initiatives that foster critical thinking in
connections between young adults’ social media use and
order to encourage a more informed and involved citizenry.
political behaviors. According to the findings, a strong
positive correlation exists between social media use and
Literature Review political knowledge (r=.25, p.001) and positive political
Studies have shown that young adults who use social media attitudes (r=.17, p.01).
have greater political knowledge. According to studies,
using social media can increase exposure to political Multivariate Analysis
information, which can enhance one’s understanding of Multiple regression analyses were used in the study to
politics (M. D. Safiullah et al., 2022). According to other examine how the use of social media and other factors
studies Stieglitz & Dang-Xuan, 2013b, using social media affect young adults’ interest in politics in their own
can exacerbate partisan division by making it easier for unique ways (r=-.13, p.05). Fortunately, social media
echo chambers and filter bubbles to form (Zhuravskaya use and political compromise had a significant negative
et al., 2020). Social media platforms like Twitter and correlation. After adjusting for demographic factors
Facebook have also been found to facilitate political (age, gender, and education), the results showed that
discussion and information sharing. Due to the difficulty social media use significantly predicted online political
in hearing opposing viewpoints created by these echo behaviors (=.14, p.01). The study also looked at potential
chambers and filter bubbles, political attitudes and beliefs moderating factors, such as political ideology, use of social
may become more entrenched. By making it simpler to media platforms, and how often people use social media.
disseminate information and calls to action, social media The findings demonstrated that political ideology
can increase political participation and mobilization (M. moderated (=.13, p.05) the relationship between social
Safiullah et al., 2017) have discovered that Facebook and media use and political knowledge, with the relationship
other social media platforms are effective at enlisting being stronger for respondents who identified as liberal.
people in politics, particularly young adults. The relationship between social media use and online

Journal of Communication and Management, April-June, 2023, Vol 2, Issue 2, 98-100 99

 Lalitank Jain

political behaviors was also moderated by the social media users among young adults are more likely to be
media platform used (=.16, p.01), with the relationship politically active and have a deeper understanding of
being stronger for respondents who reported using politics. The results of this study demonstrate that social
Twitter. The relationship between social media use and media has both positive and negative effects on young
political knowledge was finally moderated by frequency adults’ political participation. The study also discovered
of use (=.25, p.001), with the relationship being stronger that using social media can result in polarisation and echo
for respondents who reported using social media more chambers, which may have detrimental effects on political
frequently. discourse and democracy. Use of social media can boost
political awareness and participation, but it can also create
Limitations polarization and echo chambers. Teaching young adults
The study has a number of limitations that should be how to use media and engage in critical thought will help
noted. First, a convenience sampling technique was used them navigate social media’s challenging and occasionally
to select the sample, which may have limited how broadly divisive world. Future studies should look at how social
the results can be applied to other populations. Second, media affects political participation across a range of
the study used self-reported data, which can be subject contexts and age groups.
to recall bias or social desirability bias. Finally, the study
was cross-sectional in nature, which restricts our ability to Bibliography
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HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Jain, Lalitank ., Pandey, V. (2023).The Influence of Social Media Usage and Political Behaviors among Adults. Journal
of Communication and Management, 2(2), 98-100. DOI: 10.58966/JCM2023224

100 Journal of Communication and Management, April-June, 2023, Vol 2, Issue 2, 98-100