Facebook and Political Socialization in Pakistan: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Facebook is a social networking site where users, especially young people, can connect with each other for a variety of reasons, including political socialization. This study examines how young people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, make use of Facebook for political information and in turn political socialization. The Uses and Gratification theory provides theoretical foundation for the current research study. Data collection was accomplished using a survey research methodology. A standardized questionnaire served as the research tool in this exploratory research. Students enrolled in seven selected universities of KP made up the population for this study. In total, 525 students, including undergraduate and graduate were selected using convenient sampling technique. The sample size was extracted from the total enrolment of the aforementioned universities by using the Cochran's formula. The researcher received 501 responses from participants. Analysis of the data disclosed that political parties and politicians engage with voters by means of Facebook for political socialization.