Social network matters

The influence of online social capital on youth political participation in Pakistan

Bibliographic Data

ID12972163
AuthorsSobia Shahzad (0000-0002-6951-470X), Bahiyah Omar (0000-0002-2952-6327, North-West State Technical University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume18
Issue4
Pages430-442
Publication date2021-03-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Information Technology & Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1933-169X • E-ISSN: 1933-1681
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19331681.2021.1900018
OpenAlexW3151484091
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited42

There is global concern over the continuing decline in political participation, especially among young people. Social capital or networks of relations among people have been found to be important in the revival of political participation. While research has established the profound effects of online social capital on politics, we know much less about its role in fostering political participation in new democracies. In this study, we tested the influence of online social capital on communication mediation processes to understand political participation in Pakistan. A survey was conducted of 864 respondents, recruited using a multistage cluster sampling, and the survey data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Our findings suggest that extensive online networks result in less participation in online political activities, whereas no effect was found on youth political behavior in the real setting. We also found that social capital does not motivate people to express their opinions in the online environment. These results suggest that the political consequences of online social capital are different in a less democratic setting from in a Western-democratic context. There may be less political trust in the former, which discourages people from participating in politics. This paper discusses some of the theoretical and managerial implications of the study

Capital (architecture · Context (archaeology · Democracy · Mediation · Political capital · Political communication · Political efficacy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social capital · Social science · Sociology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Law · Psychology · Social Capital and Networks · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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