Abstract

People use social media to gratify their informational needs in various fields like health, education, sports. Due to its great utility in politics, political communication on social media is studied by many scholars around the globe. However, very limited studies are carried out in Sindh province of Pakistan in this regard. This study fills the gap by providing research data about the use of social media among university students to seek political information. It employs a quantitative research design to collect data from 387 respondents from four general discipline universities of Sindh. The results revealed that university students in the majority use social media for political purposes. They seek political information about national matters more as compared to international ones and prefer news stories as they provide them with verified and updated political content. Moreover, Facebook is used more as compared to other networks for seeking political information.

Key Words

Social Media, Students, Seeking Political Information

Introduction

Politics is a prime concept to develop and sustain public support to gain power. This needs effective communication strategies and media platforms to reach and influence a wide audience. People in Pakistan use various communication channels including social media actively to express their political ideas because it provides easy access to political information. Social media is a bliss of technology that cracked the monopolistic vision of mainstream media by providing a participatory communication platform. It enabled people to freely discuss information with others beyond the existing boundaries. Now information is at a multidirectional stage which created speedy information traffic and changed the passive identity of the audience. Users become more active in deciding what information to consume. Social media mainly focuses on alternative moods of communication and connected source and receiver by providing a unique platform of interactivity. Users freely search for information related to matters of national and international affairs with one click. It made social media the most powerful and preferred medium for communication, particularly among youth. 

Social media provides an ideal platform for its users to search for political information and obtain real-time news about current affairs everywhere. The main characteristic associated with social media is it works freely without constraints of gatekeeping; everyone is an information producer and simultaneously becomes an information consumer. Users from all around the world freely enter the domain of social media to access and share information about political issues. This characteristic of social media attracts newcomers to enter in political sphere that was previously ignored and deliberately sidelined by political elites in media (Enikolopov et al., 2020).  Thus, researchers are hoping that in the future social media will become a powerful platform for people to gratify their political information needs (Feezell & Ortiz,2019; Lee & Xenos, 2019; Shehata & Strömbäck, 2018; van Erkel & Van Aelst, 2021).

It was also found that number of internet and social media users are increasing day by day in the country. Social media in Pakistan is widely used, and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are quite common (Zain-ul-Abideen, 2017). Since social media become a communication platform for adults its usage among the young generation increases day by day. The majority of social media users are 18 to 24 years old and social media mostly targets this age category (Anderson & Auxier, 2021). Youth use social media for various political purposes including seeking political information at national and international scale.

Keeping this aspect of social media usage researcher conducted this study on university students of Sindh province, Pakistan to know to what extent students use social media to seek political information.

Material and Methods

The researcher carried out this project to assess social media usage among university students in Sindh province, Pakistan. This research applied quantitative research design to measure the accurate responses from the students so that results could be generalized to the whole population. Quantitative research involves a statistical approach and is specifically used in survey and experimental studies (Leedy & Ormrod 2001) and commonly used in the field of mass communication worldwide (Hassan, 2022; Muzaffar, Chodhry & Afza, 2019; Tareen, 2021). 

The research design for the present study was based on descriptive research as it is basically based on the objective stance. Furthermore, the primary data survey method was used with the help of a pre-designed close-ended questionnaire. It was confirmed through the literature review that many previous studies have used the survey method to investigate the use of social media in the context of politics (Al-Daihani, 2016; Bene, 2017) because it is considered a central significant research tool (A. Hansen, Cottle, Negrine, Newbold & Halloran, 1988)

The population of study consists of students enrolled in universities of Sindh province Pakistan namely Sindh Madarsatul Islam University Karachi, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Mirs, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, and Karachi University. 

For sampling researcher used purposive sampling in this regard 387 respondents from the social science faculty voluntarily participated in the project. 

To achieve the objectives of the study, the Survey method was used for data collection and the researcher applied a purposive sampling technique to select respondents for the study. Primary data was collected in a fashion that the questionnaire was served among the respondents in a face-to-face situation. The close-ended questionnaire was used. However secondary data was collected from already published literature in this domain. Finally, data was analyzed by using SPSS software. 

Discussion

The researcher carried out this project to assess social media usage among university students in Sindh province, Pakistan. This research applied quantitative research design to measure the accurate responses from the students so that results could be generalized to the whole population. Quantitative research involves a statistical approach and is specifically used in survey and experimental studies (Leedy & Ormrod 2001) and commonly used in the field of mass communication worldwide (Hassan, 2022; Muzaffar, Chodhry & Afza, 2019; Tareen, 2021). 

The research design for the present study was based on descriptive research as it is basically based on the objective stance. Furthermore, the primary data survey method was used with the help of a pre-designed close-ended questionnaire. It was confirmed through the literature review that many previous studies have used the survey method to investigate the use of social media in the context of politics (Al-Daihani, 2016; Bene, 2017) because it is considered a central significant research tool (A. Hansen, Cottle, Negrine, Newbold & Halloran, 1988)

The population of study consists of students enrolled in universities of Sindh province Pakistan namely Sindh Madarsatul Islam University Karachi, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Mirs, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, and Karachi University. 

For sampling researcher used purposive sampling in this regard 387 respondents from the social science faculty voluntarily participated in the project. 

To achieve the objectives of the study, the Survey method was used for data collection and the researcher applied a purposive sampling technique to select respondents for the study. Primary data was collected in a fashion that the questionnaire was served among the respondents in a face-to-face situation. The close-ended questionnaire was used. However secondary data was collected from already published literature in this domain. Finally, data was analyzed by using SPSS software. 




Discussion

Social media is commonly used to get political information to remain updated about the political environment of the country. People use social media to search for information about important political matters, and pro and opposed viewpoints about situations in order to develop strong political judgment. Political information-seeking activity on social media has a strong connection with users' political needs. For examining the engagement level of the individual in politics Vebra (Vebra, 1966) identified political interest as an important indication that forces individuals to participate in the political process. Discussing the role of social media in generating political interest among users Kaye and Johnson (Kaye & Johnson, 2002) concluded in their study that social media is an effective medium that generates political interest among youth by motivating them to seek political information and news. Further, Abdullah, Hassan, Ahmad, Hassan, and Ismail (2022) added that Malaysian youth were significantly interested in politics, as 60 of the respondents discussed political affairs with friends, 52 with family members, and 32 with political activists. In this way, political interest is observed to be an important predictor of searching political content on the network.

Additionally, another factor that influences the political information-seeking activity of users is policy satisfaction. Policy satisfaction is precisely defined as a strategy that includes the policy-making process and its outcomes (Whiteley et al., 2013). Therefore it is quite clear that peoples' political satisfaction relies on the participation of people in the policy-making process. Social media makes this process fair and unbiased, users are given an equal chance to actively take part in ongoing political courses, and as a result, they will become more satisfied with the outcome (Whiteley et al., 2015). This develops hope among youth that their voices are given adequate importance by the authorities and may be used in the decision-making process (Awang et al., 2012). This boosts their political engagement and searching political information on social media. 

Social media was effectively used by politicians as well to promote their political manifesto. Political parties monitor their social network accounts to assess the political engagement of users towards the party agenda. Thus social media recently has become the hub for political leaders to connect with their voters and supporters. Research conducted on German politicians it was observed that politicians increasingly use social media to communicate with the masses about their works and plans. In return, it increased the level of political interest among German citizens (Stieglitz et al., 2012)

People are using social media to seek out information or to self-educate. The title of this theme comes from Papacharissi and Rubin's (Papacharissi and Rubin, 2000) research on information seeking and internet usage. Korgaonkar and Wolin (Korgaonkar & Wolin, 1999) also had a similar construct called information motivation which they defined as how consumers use the web for self-education and information. 

Social media plays a vital role in the sharing of information and is used to convey different types of information (i.e. sensitive, sensational, political, and casual information) (Osatuyi, 2013). Information is shared on social media in real-time. Hence, the information sought in social media generally consists of the most recent and up-to-date information. Reviews and recommendations for information seeking can be easily found on social media, hence making it a source of information for students (Balakrishnan and Gan, 2016; Kim et al., 2014). Users turn to social media to search for more updated political information so as to remain politically informed.

According to McQuail (McQuail, 1987) seeking information is usually the main need to be gratified while using media. It involves the need to be familiar with events and conditions in the user's surroundings. Further Blumler (Blumler, 1979), added that for information audiences plan in advance to consume and pay attention to media content. Thus information content consumption is heavily dependent on the selective approach of the media users prior to exposure. This effect on the attachment level of users with media content for the period of media content exposure, and its utilization for cognitive processing (Lin, 1993).

Social media is commonly used by youth in Pakistan for political purposes including searching political information and promulgating political ideologies. Studies established that the young generation in Pakistan was commonly using social networking sites for social networking to communicate political matters with other users (Ahmad et al., 2019; Ali & Fatima, 2016). Further searching political information on social media was believed to be a dominant activity of the users that influenced their political socialization and it helped them to remain updated about political happenings in the country. More social media was also used as a propaganda device that is utilized to motivate people toward political beliefs.

Thus it came to know that social media usage among youth is quite common. The main drive associated with media consumption is surveillance. People use mass media to get information about every aspect of one's social life. In the context of politics, social media fulfills these needs very effectively and instantly by providing great access to political information via pages, accounts, and groups to its users. 

Social media usage for seeking political information has a strong connection to the political interests of the users. Hence social media enhances the political interest of the users by motivating them to freely discuss, share, and search for political information. Further, it develops a sense of involvement among them in the policy-making process and its outcomes. Further social media is used to search for political information and propagate political ideologies that enable users to remain politically updated. Additionally, reviews and recommendations for information seeking can be easily found on social media, hence making it a source of information for students (Balakrishnan & Gan, 2016; Kim et al., 2014)

Results

Demographic profile.




 

Table 1

Demographic Profile of Respondents.

Variable	Frequency	Percentage
Age
Below 20 Years	141	36.4
21 to 25 years	237	61.2
26 to 30 years	7	1.8
More than 30 years	2	.5
Total	387	100.0
Gender
Male	265	68.5
Female	122	31.5
Total	387	100.0
Education Level
Bachelor	336	86.8
Master	51	13.2
Total	387	100.0
Marital Status
Married	31	8.0
Unmarried	350	90.4
Divorced	5	1.3
If any other please specify	1	.3
Total	387	100.0
Religion
Muslim	367	94.8
Non-Muslim	20	5.2
Total	387	100.0
Field of education
Media studies	215	55.6
International relations	69	17.8
Political science	54	14.0
If any other please specify	49	12.7
Total	387	100.0
University
University of Sindh Jamshoro	108	27.9
SMIU Karachi	57	14.7
Shah Abdul Latif university Khairpur Mirs	134	34.6
Karachi university	88	22.7
Total	387	100.0

 




Table 1 presents the demographic profile of the respondents.  Results about the age indicated that 141 (36.4) respondents were below the age of 20 years. After that 237 (61.2) respondents were between the age of 21 to 25 years. Further 7 (1.8) respondents were between 26 to 30 years of age. The remaining 2 (.5) participants were more than 30 years old. The majority of social media users are 18 to 24 years old and social media mostly targets this age category (Anderson & Auxier 2021). Therefore teenagers are constantly exposed to political information that influences their vision about political matters.

Data about gender showed that 265 (68.5) respondents were male and 122 (31.5) were female students who remained part of this research study. Moreover, the education data revealed that 336 (86.8) respondents belong to a bachelor's degree program whereas, 51 (13.2) respondents belong to a master's degree program. Added to that data about marital status of respondents showed that 31 (8.0) respondents were married. While 350 (90.4) respondents were unmarried. Moreover, 5 (1.30 respondents




 

 

Table 2

Social Media Usage among University Students in Sindh Province, Pakistan

Variable	Frequency	Percentage
Do you use social media?
Yes	387	100
No	00	00
Total	387	100
At what device do you use social media
Desktop computer	16	4.1
Mobile phone	361	93.3
Tablet/Ipad	3	.8
Other	7	1.8
Total	387	100
What social networking site do you frequently use?
Facebook	188	48.6
Twitter	21	5.4
YouTube	48	12.4
Whatsapp.	110	28.4
If any other	20	5.2
Total	387	100
Where do you use social media?
Facebook	188	48.6
Twitter	21	5.4
YouTube	48	12.4
Whatsapp.	110	28.4
If any other	20	5.2
Total	387	100
How much time do you spend on social media?
1 to 2 hours	112	28.9
3 to 4 hours	144	37.2
More than 4 hours	131	33.9
Total	387	100
Where do you use social media?
At home	288	74.4
University Campus	42	10.9
If any other place	57	14.7
Total	387	100

 




Data in Table 02 shows that all the respondents 387 (100) surveyed used social media, further results about social media usage devices indicated that 16 respondents used social media on desktop computers. Regarding mobile phone devices findings showed that 361 (93.3) respondents use social media on mobile phones. Additionally, only 3 respondents use social media on iPads/tablets. However, 07 students use social media on other devices including laptops. At the start of 2022 in Pakistan there were 82.90 million internet users additionally 71.70 million had active social media accounts (Arif, 2022). Social media in Pakistan is widely used among youth, and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are quite common (Zain-ul-Abideen, 2017).

were divorced whereas, 1 (.3) respondent mentioned widow in this section.

Furthermore, data about religion revealed that 367 (94.8) respondents were Muslim by religion, whereas, 20 (5.2) respondents were non-Muslim. Added to that data about the education field of the respondents pointed out that 215 (55.6) respondents belong to the media studies field of education. While 69 (17.8) belongs to the International Relations Department.  Further 54 (14.0) respondents were from the political science field of education. In the end, 49 students mentioned other fields of education in the social science faculty including Library science, Public Administration, Sociology, Social work, and Economics.

Moreover, about the university in which respondents were currently getting education data showed that 108 (27.9) respondents were from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro. While 57 (14.7) respondents belong to Sindh Madarsatul Islam Universtu Karachi. Additionally, 134 (34.6) respondents were getting an education from Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur (Mirs). Lastly, 88 (22.7) respondents were students of Karachi University.

Furthermore, data regarding social networking site usage among university students revealed that 188 (48.6) respondents use Facebook social networking sites. Moreover, regarding Twitter, it was calculated that 21 respondents use Twitter social networks. Regarding Youtube usage data shows that 48 (12.4) of the respondents use Youtube social networking sites. Whereas, 110 (28.4) use Whatsapp. However, 20 respondents use other social networks such as Gmail, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc. Further data about social media usage time indicated that 112 (28.9) respondents use social media for 1 to two hours daily.  Additionally, 144 (37.2) respondents spend 3 to 4 hours on social media.  Moreover, 131 (33.9) respondents use social media for more than 4 hours. Data regarding social media usage place revealed that 288 (74.4) respondents use social media at home. 42 (10.9) use at university campuses, and finally 57 (14.7) respondents use social media at other places including hotels and public places as well.

Thus it was concluded that social media usage is common in university students. Students at majority use social media on cell phones to remain active on their social media accounts. The reason behind that is it is a portable device and respondents easily keep it anywhere. Additionally, cellular internet data packages enable users to remain active in the internet arena at any time. Regarding the preferred social network used it was concluded that Facebook comes at the top of the list in usage followed by WhatsApp. It was also found that the majority of the university students use social media for more than 3 hours and home remained the preferred place to use social media among respondents.




 

Table 3

Social Media Usage for Seeking Political Information

Variable	Frequency	Percentage
How often do you seek political knowledge on social media?
Most often	134	34.6
Often	166	42.9
Less often	73	18.9
Not at all	14	3.6
Total	387	100.0
What political issues do you prefer to seek on social media?
Local	73	18.9
National	191	49.4
International	123	31.8
Total	387	100.0
Which political party pages do you follow on social media?
PTI	207	53.5
PML(N)	24	6.2
PPP	83	21.4
If any other please specify	73	18.9
Total	387	100.0
From where do you commonly seek political information on social media?
Online social media groups	212	54.8
Political party pages	109	28.2
Wall and links	44	11.4
If any other please specify	22	5.7
Total	387	100.0
What political media content do you prefer to seek on social media?
News stories	244	63.0
Press conferences	82	21.2
Handout and press releases	44	11.4
If any other please specify	17	4.4
Total	387	100.0
Why do you seek political information on social media?
To know current political issues	267	69.0
To understand the political scenario	104	26.9
For any other please specify	16	4.1
Total	387	100.0

 




Data in Table 3 presents the results about social media usage for seeking political information showing that 134 (34.6) respondents seek political information most often. Whereas, 166 (42.9) respondents seek political information from social media often. 73 (18.9) respondents seek political information less often. Additionally, 14 (3.6) respondents selected not at all options in this regard.

Further data about issues preferred to seek on social media by university students indicated that 73 (18.9) respondents prefer to seek local political issues on social media. Whereas, 191 (49.4) respondents prefer national issues. While 123 (31.8) respondents like to seek international issues on social media platforms.

Additionally, results about following political party pages show that 207 (53.5) respondents follow Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf PTI party pages because most of the youth like Imran Khan which is why they prefer to follow PTI pages to remain updated about their preferred political party manifesto. 24 (6.2) respondents follow the PML (N) party page to get political knowledge. While 83 (21.4) respondents follow PPP party pages. Finally, 73 (18.9) respondents follow other political party pages to get political knowledge.

Moreover, data about social media places to seek political knowledge indicated that 212 (54.4) respondents seek political information from online social media groups. 109 (28.2) respondents seek information about political scenarios from political party pages. However, 44 (11.4) seek information from the wall and link shared. At the end 22 (5.7) respondents seek political information from other places on social media.

Results regarding media content preferences to seek political knowledge revealed that 244 (63.0) respondents sought political information from news stories that appeared on social media. 82 (21.2) prefer press conferences for seeking information. Furthermore, 44 (11.4) respondents prefer handouts and press releases issued by political party office bearers. While 17 (4.4) respondents preferred other media content related to politics that appeared on social media platforms.

However, regarding the purpose of seeking political information from social media data indicated that 267 (69.0) respondents mainly seek political information to know about ongoing political issues. While 104 (26.9) seek political information to understand the political scenario. 16 (4.1) respondents mentioned other purposes for seeking political information from social media.

Further about seeking political information from social media it was concluded that commonly students seek political information. The practice of seeking national political issues remained at the top of the list. Additionally, students seek international political issues. It was surprisingly observed that students were less motivated to seek local issues in the field of politics.

As participants were interested in national and international issues therefore they seek political information commonly from online social media groups. They also choose political party pages to get political information because political information is commonly and timely available on those media political groups. It was also observed that walls and links have not remained the choice of the respondents to seek political information because a minute number of students 44 said that they sought political information over there.




 

Table 4

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Usage for Seeking Political Information

Variable		How often do you seek political knowledge on social media?				Total
		Most often	Often	Less often	Not at all
Do you use social media for political information?	Yes	134	165	73	14	386
		34.6	42.6	18.9	3.6	99.7
	No	0	1	0	0	1
		0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3
Total		134	166	73	14	387
		34.6	42.9	18.9	3.6	100.0

 




The data in Table 4 presents the information about the cross-tabulation of social media usage for political information and seeking practices of political information revealed that 165 (42.6) replied that they seek political information on social media often. Further, 134 (34.6) responded that they seek political information most often. Additionally, 73 (18.9) replied with a less often response. Moreover, a minimum number of respondents 14 (3.6) said that they never use social media to seek political information.

Furthermore, 01 respondent (0.3) responded that he/she does not use social media for political information but in some conditions, he/she often seeks political information on social media.

The findings showed that the majority of the respondents use social media to seek political content it showed that respondents are interested in political content on social media.




 

Table 5

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Use for Seeking Geographical Political Issues

Variable		What political issues do you prefer to seek on social media?			Total
		Local	National	International
Do you use social media for political information?	Yes	72	191	123	386
		18.6	49.4	31.8	99.7
	No	1	0	0	1
		0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3
Total		73	191	123	387
		18.9	49.4	31.8	100.0

 




The data in Table 5 about the cross-tabulation of social media usage for political information and seeking practices of political issues revealed that 191 (49.4) replied that they seek national issues related to politics on social media. Further, 123 (31.8) responded that they seek international political issues. Additionally, 72 (18.6) replied that they seek local political issues on social media.

Furthermore, 01 (0.3) responded that he/she does not use social media for political information but in some conditions, he/she often seeks local political issues on social media.

Thus it was concluded that at first national political issues are preferred on social media by university students, secondly international issues, and finally local issues are searched while using social media. Therefore it was observed from the data that respondents are more interested in national issues to understand the political scenario of the country.

The findings showed that the majority of the respondents use social media to seek political content it showed that respondents are interested in political content on social media.




 

Table 6

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Use for Seeking Areas of Political Issues

Variable		From where do you commonly seek political information on social media?				Total
		Online social media groups	Political party pages	Wall and links	If any other please specify
Do you use social media for political information?	Yes	212	108	44	22	386
		54.8	27.9	11.4	5.7	99.7
	No	0	1	0	0	1
		0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3
Total		212	109	44	22	387
		54.8	28.2	11.4	5.7	100.0

 




The data in Table 6 about the cross-tabulation of social media usage for political information and areas of seeking practices of political issues revealed that 212 (54.8) replied that they seek issues related to politics on social media commonly from social media groups. Further 108 (27.9) responded that they seek political issues While visiting to political party social media pages. Additionally, 44 (11.4) replied that they seek political issues on social media from social media walls and links. Whereas, 22 (5.7) replied that they seek political information from other social media features.

Furthermore, 01 respondent (0.3) responded that he/she does not use social media for political information but in some conditions, he/she often seeks political issues on social media from political party pages.

Thus it was concluded that the majority of the respondents seek political information from social media groups as they are the participants of those groups so they easily seek political information over there.




 

Table 7

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Use for Seeking Political Media Content

Variable		What political media content do you prefer to seek on social media?				Total
		News stories	Press conferences	Handout and press releases	If any other please specify
Do you use social media for political information?	Yes	243	82	44	17	386
		62.8	21.2	11.4	4.4	99.7
	No	1	0	0	0	1
		0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3
Total		244	82	44	17	387
		63.0	21.2	11.4	4.4	100.0

 




The data in Table 7 about the cross-tabulation of social media usage for political information and seeking political media content revealed that 243 (62.8) replied that they seek news stories related to politics on social media commonly from social media. Whereas, 01 (0.3) said that he/she does not use social media to seek news stories. Further, 82 (21.2) responded that they seek political information from press conferences. Additionally, 44 (11.4) replied that they prefer to seek political information from social media via press releases and handouts. Whereas, 17 (4.4) replied that they seek political information from other media content on social media.

Thus it was concluded that the majority of the respondents sought political information from news stories that appeared on social media platforms. As it is more timely information and remains updated with current political scenarios in the region.




 

Table 8

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Usage Reasons Behind Seeking Political Information

Variable		Why do you seek political information on social media?			Total
		To know current political issues	To understand the political scenario	For any other please specify
Do you use social media for political information?	Yes	267	103	16	386
		69.0	26.6	4.1	99.7
	No	0	1	0	1
		0.0	0.3	0.0	0.3
Total		267	104	16	387
		69.0	26.9	4.1	100.0

 




The data in Table 8 about the cross-tabulation of social media usage for political information and the reason behind seeking political content revealed that 267 (69.0) replied that they seek political information from social media to know current political issues. Further, 103 (26.6) responded that they seek political information to understand the political scenario. Added to that 01 respondent (0.3) replied with a negative response to that reason. Additionally, 16 (4.1) replied that they prefer to seek political information from social media for other reasons.

Thus it was concluded that the majority of the respondents seek political information from social media to remain updated about the current political environment of the country.




 

Table 9

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Site Usage for Seeking Political Information

Variable		How often do you seek political knowledge on social media?				Total
		Most often	Often	Less often	Not at all
Which social media site do you use commonly to get political information?	Facebook	66	80	34	9	189
		17.1	20.7	8.8	2.3	48.8
	Twitter	29	37	18	3	87
		7.5	9.6	4.7	0.8	22.5
	Youtube	28	42	14	1	85
		7.2	10.9	3.6	0.3	22.0
	Whatsapp.	10	6	7	1	24
		2.6	1.6	1.8	0.3	6.2
	If any other	1	1	0	0	2
		0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.5
Total		134	166	73	14	387
		34.6	42.9	18.9	3.6	100.0

 




The data in Table 9 about the cross-tabulation of social media site usage for political information and seeking practices of political issues revealed that 189 (48.8) replied that they seek issues related to politics on social media commonly from Facebook. Further results indicated that 66 (17.1) use Facebook most often for searching political information. Additionally, 80 (20.7) replied that they seek political information on Facebook often. 34 respondents (8.8) said they use Facebook less often. Finally, 9 (.3) replied with a not at all option.

Further, 87 (22.5) responded that they seek political information from Twitter. Results showed that 29 (7.5) use Twitter most often for searching political information. Additionally, 37 (9.6) replied that they seek political information on Twitter often. 18 respondents (4.7) said they use Twitter less often. Finally, 3 (0.8) replied with a not at all option.

Additionally, 85 (22.0) replied that they seek political issues on YouTube social media sites. Results showed that 28 (7.2) use YouTube most often for searching political information. Additionally, 42 (10.9) replied that they seek political information on YouTube often. 14 (3.6) said they use Youtube less often. Finally, 01 (0.3) replied with a not at all option.

Whereas, 24 (6.2) replied that they seek political information from Whatsapp. Results showed that 10 (2.6) use WhatsApp. most often for searching political information. Additionally, 06 (1.6) replied that they seek political information on WhatsApp. often. 07 respondents (1.8) said they use WhatsApp. less often. Finally, 01 respondents (0.3) replied with a not at all option.

While 2 (0.5) survey participants use other social media sites to seek political information. Results showed that 01 (0.3) use other social networking sites most often for searching political information, additionally, 01 (0.3) seek political information on other social networking sites often.

Thus it was concluded that the majority of the respondents seek political information from Facebook books and with a slight difference they use Twitter and YouTube. As these social media sites are commonly used by the respondents that are the reason they consider them as a preferred choice for seeking political information over there.




 

Table 10

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Site Usage for Seeking Geographical Political Issues

Variable		What political issues do you prefer to seek on social media?			Total
		Local	National	International
Which social media site do you use commonly to get political information?	Facebook	42	98	49	189
		10.9	25.3	12.7	48.8
	Twitter	12	45	30	87
		3.1	11.6	7.8	22.5
	Youtube	11	39	35	85
		2.8	10.1	9.0	22.0
	Whatsapp.	8	9	7	24
		2.1	2.3	1.8	6.2
	If any other	0	0	2	2
		0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5
Total		73	191	123	387
		18.9	49.4	31.8	100.0

 




The data in Table 10 about the cross-tabulation of social media site usage for political information and seeking practices of political issues revealed that 189 (48.8) seek issues related to politics on social media commonly from Facebook. Further results indicated that 42 (10.9) use Facebook for searching local political information, additionally, 98 (25.3) replied that they seek national political information on Facebook. 49 (12.7) uses Facebook to seek international political information.

Further, 87 (22.5) seek political information from Twitter. Results showed that 42 (10.9) use Twitter for searching local political information, additionally, 98 (25.3) seek national political information on Twitter. 49 (12.7) search international political information.

Additionally, 85 (22.0) replied that they seek political issues on YouTube social media sites. Results showed that 11 (2.8) searched for local political information, additionally, 39 (10.1) sought national political information on YouTube. 35 (9.0) search international political information.

Whereas, 24 (6.2) replied that they seek political information from Whatsapp. Results showed that 08 (2.1) seek local political information, Additionally, 09 (0.3) seek national political information on Whatsapp.. 07 respondents (1.8) seek international political information.

While 2 (0.5) respondents use other social media sites to search international political information.

Thus it was concluded that the majority of the respondents seek political information from Facebook books and with a slight difference they use Twitter and YouTube. As these social media sites are commonly used by the respondents that are the reason they consider them as a preferred choice for seeking political information over there.




 

Table 11

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Site Usage and Seeking Areas of Political Issues

Variable		From where do you commonly seek political information on social media?				Total
		social media groups	Political party pages	Wall and links	If any other please specify
Which social media site do you use commonly to get political information?	Facebook	110	52	17	10	189
		28.4	13.4	4.4	2.6	48.8
	Twitter	41	29	12	5	87
		10.6	7.5	3.1	1.3	22.5
	Youtube	47	22	11	5	85
		12.1	5.7	2.8	1.3	22.0
	Whatsapp.	12	6	4	2	24
		3.1	1.6	1.0	0.5	6.2
	If any other	2	0	0	0	2
		0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5
Total		212	109	44	22	387
		54.8	28.2	11.4	5.7	100.0

 




The results in Table 11 related to social media site usage for seeking political issues revealed that 189 (48.8) replied that they seek issues related to politics commonly from Facebook. Further data indicated that 110 (28.4) searched for political information from online social media groups, additionally, 52 (13.4) sought political information on Facebook While visiting political party pages. 17 (4.4) respondents seek political information from social media walls and links. Whereas, 10 (2.6) seek political information from other social media content.

Further, 87 (22.5) responded that they seek political information from Twitter. Results showed that 41 (10.6) searched for political information from online social media groups, additionally, 29 (7.5) replied that they sought political information While visiting political party pages. 12 (3.1) Search political information from social media walls and links. Whereas, 5 (1.3) seek political information from other social media content.

Moreover, 85 (22.0) seek political issues on the YouTube social media site. Results showed that 47 (12.1) use YouTube for searching for political information from online social media groups, additionally, 22 (5.7) seek political information from political party pages. 11 (2.8) said they search for political information from social media walls and links.  Whereas, 5 (1.3) uses YouTube to seek political information from other social media content.

Whereas, 24 (6.2) seek political information from Whatsapp. Results showed that 12 (3.1) participants searched for political information from online social media groups, additionally, 06 (1.6) sought political information from political party pages. 04 (1.0) seeks political information from social media walls and links. 02 respondents (0.5) seek political information from other social media content.

Results showed that 02 (0.5) use other social networking sites for searching political information from online social media groups.

Thus it was concluded that the majority of the respondents seek political information from Facebook books and with a slight difference they use Twitter and YouTube. As these social media sites are commonly used by the respondents that are the reason they consider them as a preferred choice for seeking political information over there.




 

Table 12

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Site Usage and Seeking Political Media Content

Variable		What political media content do you prefer to seek on social media?				Total
		News stories	Press conferences	Handout and press releases	If any other please specify
Which social media site do you use commonly to get political information?	Facebook	124	37	23	5	189
		32.0	9.6	5.9	1.3	48.8
	Twitter	40	30	11	6	87
		10.3	7.8	2.8	1.6	22.5
	Youtube	59	14	9	3	85
		15.2	3.6	2.3	0.8	22.0
	Whatsapp.	19	1	1	3	24
		4.9	0.3	0.3	0.8	6.2
	If any other please specify	2	0	0	0	2
		0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5
Total		244	82	44	17	387
		63.0	21.2	11.4	4.4	100.0

 




The data in Table 12 about social media site usage for seeking political issues revealed that 189 (48.8) seek politics on social media commonly from Facebook. Further results indicated that 124 (2.0) use Facebook for searching political information from news stories, additionally, 37 (9.6) seek political information from press conferences. Moreover, 23 (5.9) seek political information from handouts and press releases shared on social media. Whereas, 05 (1.3) said that they seek political information from other social media content.

Furthermore, 87 (22.5) seek political information from Twitter. Results showed that 40 (10.3) use Twitter for searching political information from news stories, additionally, 30 (7.8) seek political information from press conferences that appeared on social media sites. 11 (2.8) Search political information from handouts and press releases. Whereas, 6 (1.6) seeks political information from other social media content.

Additionally, 85 (22.0) replied that they seek political issues on YouTube social media sites. Results showed that 59 (15.2) searched for political information from news stories, additionally, 14 (3.6) sought political information from press conferences. 09 respondents (2.3) search political information from handouts and press releases. Whereas, 03 (0.8) seek political information from other social media content.

Furthermore, 24 (6.2) seeks political information from WhatsApp. Results showed that 19 (4.9) searched for political information from news stories on the WhatsApp social network because different political parties and journalists have made WhatsApp groups therefore respondents as members of those groups get political updates over there. Additionally, 01 (0.3) seeks political information on WhatsApp from press conferences. 01 respondent (0.3) used WhatsApp to search for political information from handouts and press releases. Whereas, 3 (0.8) seek political information from other social media contents. Results showed that 02 (0.5) participants used other social networking sites for searching political information from news stories.

Thus it was concluded that respondents seek political information from social media sites from news stories.




 

 

 

Table 13

Cross Tabulation of Social Media Site Usage and Reasons behind Seeking Political Information

Variable		Why do you seek political information on social media?			Total
		To know current political issues	To understand the political scenario	For any other please specify
Which social media site do you use commonly to get political information?	Facebook	138	46	5	189
		35.7	11.9	1.3	48.8
	Twitter	51	30	6	87
		13.2	7.8	1.6	22.5
	Youtube	63	18	4	85
		16.3	4.7	1.0	22.0
	Whatsapp.	14	9	1	24
		3.6	2.3	0.3	6.2
	If any other please specify	1	1	0	2
		0.3	0.3	0.0	0.5
Total		267	104	16	387
		69.0	26.9	4.1	100.0

 




The data in Table 13 about social media site usage for political information and reasons associated with seeking practices of political issues revealed that 189 (48.8) seek issues related to politics commonly from Facebook. Further results indicated that 138 (35.70 searched for political information to remain updated about current political issues. Additionally, 46 (11.9) seek political information to understand the political scenario. Moreover, 05 (1.3) seeks political information for other reasons.

Further, 87 (22.5) responded that they seek political information from Twitter. Results showed that 51 (13.2) searched for political information to know current political issues, additionally, 30 (7.8) sought political information on Twitter to understand the political scenarios. Whereas, 6 (1.6) sought political information from social media content for other reasons.

Additionally, 85 (22.0) seek political issues on the YouTube social media site. Results showed that 63 (16.3) searched for political information to know about ongoing political issues, additionally, 18 (4.7) sought political information to understand the political scenarios. Whereas, 04 (1.0) sought political information for other reasons.

Furthermore, 24 (6.2) respondents replied that they seek political information from WhatsApp. Results showed that 14 (3.6) searched political information to know current political issues. Additionally, 09 (2.3) seeks political information from press conferences. 01 respondent (0.3) searches political information to understand political scenarios. Furthermore, 01 (0.3) seeks political information from other reasons.

Results showed that 02 (0.5) use other social networking sites for searching political information. Added to that it was calculated that 01 (0.3) searched political information to know current political issues, whereas, 01 (0.3) used social media sites to understand the political scenarios.

Thus it was concluded that respondents seek political information from social media sites to remain updated about current political issues. 

Conclusion

It was concluded that university students commonly seek political information on social media.  Moreover, it was found that national political issues remained the preferred choice. Additionally, students seek international political issues as well. It was surprisingly observed that students were less motivated to intentionally use social media to seek local issues in the field of politics. In that, online social media groups provide them with updated and timely information about political matters as compared to political party pages. It was amazingly appeared that although social media walls and links provide instant and timely access to political content students don’t prefer to seek political information over there.

Furthermore, the majority of university students seek political information from news stories that appear on social media platforms. As it provides more timely information and helps users to remain updated with current political scenarios in the region. While analyzing different social networks' effectiveness as information sources it was observed that besides other social networks, Facebook is preferred more for searching information about political happenings whereas Twitter and YouTube with slight differences come second and third social media site usage among students in this regard.

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