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The Role of Facebook in Shaping Voting Behavior of Youth: Perspective of a Developing Country

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  • Muhammad Sajid
  • Janat Javed
  • Nosheen Fatima Warraich

Abstract

This paper explores Facebook’s role in shaping the political perception of youth during the 2018 general elections in Pakistan. It also gauges the ideological standpoint of youth in Pakistan that influences their voting decisions. An online campaign has become an indispensable source for politicians to influence the masses without the constraints of distance and time. It is a quantitative study based on a questionnaire survey of young Pakistani voters. Findings show that Facebook has presumed the role of an instigator in shaping the voting behavior of educated youth. Respondents perceived Facebook as biased while expressing views and assisted political entities in manipulating the data to increase their vote bank. Though the majority of them haven’t experienced fake news so either they are not conscious or they trust blindly the information. Furthermore, respondents’ cognitive abilities are not obstructed by politicians using Facebook, instead, friends and family network seems more persuasive in determining voters’ choice. Results manifest that ideological standpoint impacts voters’ decisions substantially. There is no statistical difference in the voting behavior of respondents based on gender and/or age. The individuality of this study is that it focuses on the medium of communication between politicians and youth instead of emphasizing the social cleavages and their impact on voters’ decisions, which Pakistani scholars largely study. This study will prompt the field of psephology in Pakistan, which is largely ignored, and help scholars to move out of the domain of identity politics.

Suggested Citation

  • Muhammad Sajid & Janat Javed & Nosheen Fatima Warraich, 2024. "The Role of Facebook in Shaping Voting Behavior of Youth: Perspective of a Developing Country," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:21582440241252213
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440241252213
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," NBER Working Papers 23089, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Stephen Hansen & Thomas Palfrey & Howard Rosenthal, 1987. "The Downsian model of electoral participation: Formal theory and empirical analysis of the constituency size effect," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 15-33, January.
    3. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 211-236, Spring.
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