Social media, as part of the political experience, is an emerging trend in the sociology of youths and politics. The present study aimed to investigate the dynamic role of social media in the context of promoting political participation in Lebanese society. A quantitative survey method was used to collect the data from the field, and a total number of 260 questionnaires were filled in throughout the study. The study suggests that people are openly sharing their political opinions on social media platforms and that their expression rate in terms of sharing and learning political knowledge is increasing. The majority of respondents are using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for political purposes. The creation of social media has brought about an innovative advancement when it comes to individuals participating freely for political reasoning. Additionally, with exciting features and the freedom to share videos, pictures, and status updates, social media applications increasingly allow them to participate in political discussions. Where social media is providing opportunities for the public to participate in politics, electronic media is also facilitating a generation in terms of them gaining political knowledge from political talk shows. Social media’s appropriateness for spreading something broad has triggered a contagious phenomenon that allows every notice polled to be accessed by everyone. It is possible to conclude that social media is suitable for use as an online political platform, and it provides an opportunity for the respondents to participate in the political sector of their country.
The development of social media has brought about a renewal in sociology concerning politics and the sociology of youths. The present study was conducted in Lebanese communities where youths are increasingly using social media platforms for political purposes. The creation of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others, for example, Myspace and LinkedIn, has brought about an innovative advancement when it comes to individuals participating freely for political reasoning. Additionally, with exciting features and the freedom to share videos, pictures, and status updates, social media applications increasingly allow them to participate in political discussions. Where social media is providing opportunities for the public to participate in politics, electronic media is also facilitating a generation in terms of them gaining political knowledge from political talk shows.
Social media’s appropriateness for spreading something broad has triggered a contagious phenomenon that allows every notice polled to be accessed by any and everyone. This study concludes that most of the respondents are using Facebook and Twitter to participate in political activities. It is because of the ease of use of social media platforms. To some extent, educational background is a useful source of knowledge when it comes to demonstrating the frequent technology use in Lebanon. In light of the current research, the open-ended literature suggests a choice made to use social media platforms for political reasoning. As political parties use many tactics to gather people for their benefit, social media can be an excellent political efficacy source. According to the present study, the general public’s activities result in the momentum of political change in Lebanese society. Therefore, the online sphere is not a way to learn and participate in the country’s political characters; however, offline participation is also a good source of learning and practical participation.
Writer: Muhammad Saud
Link: https://doi.org/10.20473/mkp.V33I32020.248-255
