The Influence of Social Media on Political Engagement among Political Science and International Relations Students at the University of Lusaka, Pioneer Campus

Abstract

This paper examined the role of social media in political participation among Political Science and International Relations students at the University of Lusaka, Pioneer Campus. It aimed to learn the role of social media platforms in influencing the political opinion of students, political participation and activism, and political awareness and interest. The study was designed in a descriptive case study design, but a mixed-method approach, that is, qualitative and quantitative data, was used. The respondents were 75 fourth-year students who were purposely chosen. The data were gathered by means of the structured questionnaires, both open and closed-ended, and analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The results indicated that social media was a significant source of political opinion formation, as 64 per cent of the respondents reported that social media affected their political opinions. Facebook and WhatsApp emerged as the most influential platforms. The researchers also established that social media encouraged 67 per cent of students to engage in political activities, and 64 per cent of students were likely to share political content on the Internet, implying that digital interaction was closely connected with political activism. In addition, 70 per cent of the respondents stated that social media made them more politically aware, while 72 per cent indicated that social media kept them interested in and updated about political matters. Nevertheless, several challenges were also identified, including misinformation, political polarisation, and the presence of echo chambers, which necessitated a critical assessment of online political information. The paper found that social media could be highly effective in political learning, mobilisation, and civic engagement when used responsibly. It recommended the incorporation of digital and media literacy courses into university curricula to enable students to develop the ability to critically analyse political information online. Furthermore, it suggested that policymakers, educators, and social media platforms should have worked collaboratively to encourage young people to become truthful and critical digital citizens. Keywords: Social media, Political Engagement, Political participation, political awareness, misinformation, digital literacy, university students, Zambia.