Cogent Social Sciences (Jan 2021)

Political participation of Afghan Youths on Facebook: A case study of Northeastern Afghanistan

  • Sayeed Naqibullah Orfan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1857916
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1

Abstract

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The main goal of the study was to investigate the political participation of Afghan youths on Facebook. It explored their frequency of Facebook use as well as the impact of gender, age, and employment status on Afghan youths’ political participation and engagement in the 2019 presidential elections on Facebook. An online survey questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Descriptive statistics, T-test, and One-Way ANOVA test were employed to answer the research questions. The findings showed that Afghan youths did not actively participate in political activities on Facebook although they spent at least half an hour on Facebook every day. They were engaged in low-cost and low-risk political activities, e.g., following Afghan politicians. Likewise, their engagement in the 2019 presidential elections was superficial; they were engaged in electoral activities on Facebook that required low efforts and commitment, e.g., following presidential candidates. Moreover, the gender, age, and employment status of the participants did not have any significant impact on their frequency of Facebook use, political participation, and engagement in the 2019 presidential elections on Facebook.

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