ECHO-CHAMBERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS ROLE IN POLITICAL POLARIZATION

Abstract

The number of young people becoming involved in politics through social media has skyrocketed in the past few years. The focus of this research is the development of "echo chambers," or online communities where members mostly encounter political material that supports their own opinions. It also explores how these groups deepen the partisan divide among young Pakistanis. This quantitative study is based on data collected from 400 respondents, evenly distributed across four universities in terms of gender, education level, and age group. The theoretical foundations include Social Media Influence Theory, Selective Exposure Theory, and the Uses and Gratification Theory. By prioritizing ideologically compatible information and downplaying alternative stances, social media algorithms substantially impact the political atmosphere, according to research. The results indicate that material exposure guided by algorithms impacts the formation of political ideas, lending credence to the idea that social media widens political divides. The problem of political polarization and internet echo chambers is exacerbated since young people tend to engage with material that supports their own opinions while avoiding ideas that differ from them. It became clear that education level was a major factor, as it affected not just the platforms chosen but also the openness to other political viewpoints. These findings provide more evidence that algorithmic systems combine demographic variables with aspects such as education level, age, and gender to produce highly personalized and frequently controversial political speech