Studying the Role of Social Media in Shaping Perceptions of Political Discourse among Indian Youth

Abstract

The impact of social media on political perception has been steadily increasing. Exploring how social media affects people’s understanding of their political beliefs and the political parties they identify with is crucial to learning how politics operates in the country. Social media has transformed the way people communicate, access information, and engage in political discussions, and it has become an influential tool in shaping public opinion and political discourse. However, social media can also present several challenges and risks, such as the spread of misinformation and fake news, online harassment and hate speech, and the creation of echo chambers (Palano, D., 2019). This qualitative study aims to understand the impact of social media on the perception of youth about the political discourses in India. It also focuses on understanding the formation of echo chambers. The study uses an Interpretive Phenomenological Approach to understand how people perceive the impact of social media. 11 participants were taken in and they underwent a semi-structured interview. On filtering the content, 10 participants were chosen. Through thematic analysis, the study found 4 major emerging themes – polarisation, echo chambers, the influence of social media on the perception of politics, and strategies to use social media effectively.