This literature review explores how social media influences the youth’s political information and participation by looking at recent studies on the effects of social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok on young people's political awareness, involvement, and mobilization. Social media has transformed traditional channels for political engagement by providing unique opportunities for real-time contact and access to a variety of viewpoints. For a majority of the younger generation, social media is now their primary source of news and political information. Key findings indicate that social media may significantly increase the youth’s political engagement by facilitating direct access to political content, facilitating direct communication with public figures, and supporting mobilization through tools like live streaming and hashtags. However, problems like misinformation, echo chambers, and algorithm-driven biases jeopardize these younger audiences’ understanding and engagement and have the potential to widen political rifts. Digital literacy, which cultivates the capacity to critically evaluate information sources, can help the youth to overcome these challenges. The report highlights the need for social media corporations, educational institutions, and policymakers to support youth engagement in politics in a responsible and informed manner. Future research should focus on the long-term effects of social media use on political attitudes and consider cross-cultural perspectives in order to understand variations in the youth’s political behavior throughout the world.
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