Power of Social Networking Sites in Bringing Social Change on the part of Youth through Digital Activism

Abstract

The study attempts to explain the role of social networking sites in bringing social change through youth. The study used cause and effect research design in order to determine how social networking sites are affecting the trend of social protests. Detailed literature review was presented to examine the work done by previous researchers regarding this study. Data was collected from different professions, occupations and educational institutions of Punjab, Pakistan, through a well-developed questionnaire. To conduct the study, a sample size of 300 respondents was chosen to get accurate findings. Firstly, quota sampling was selected where a quota of 150 is reserved for each gender. Next to this, convenience sampling was used where the respondents were selected according to their availability and ease from a sample size of 300 respondents was selected. The findings of the study revealed that social networking sites are playing a significant role in bringing social change in a society, especially through youth, ranging from 21 to 25 years of age. Males are showing greater support to these protests. Moreover, governments do not get much involved in issues through social media; rather they try to use traditional means of involvement. It was also concluded that people who believe that protesting through social media is non-violent, show greater support in favor of it.  

Keywords: Digital Activism through Public Relations, Digital Networking Theory, Social Networking Sites, Role of Youth in Social Change, Online Protests, Revolution through Social Media