Social Media and Political Awareness of Youths in Arunachal Pradesh

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Social Media and Political Awareness of Youths in Arunachal Pradesh: A Case

Study of Selected Districts
Article in Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research · June 2022
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Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945
Social Media and Political Awareness of Youths in Arunachal Pradesh: A Case Study of
Selected Districts
Joba Riba1and P.K Panigrahi2

Doctoral Student1, Professor2
Department of Political Science
Rajiv Gandhi University- Rono Hills, Doimukh
Jobariba7@gmail.com1
Abstract
Political Awareness is one of the most important elements for a successful democracy. The level
of political awareness has direct outcome in the process of political mobilization and political
participation of the people of the people especially in a democracy like India. Political awareness
is operated through the process in which political information’s are exchanged between an
individual and various sources of political messages communicated in the public space. Youths
are categorically considered as special group because they are the future torch bearers of the
country; therefore politically aware youths will have a greater role of play in the progress of the
country. Social media has emerged as one of the fastest means for communication and these
social media platforms are not on used by individuals but also by different groups like political
parties, pressure and interest groups, agencies and even the government thereby likely
influencing the level of political awareness of the youths.
Key Words: Social Media, Political Awareness, Youths, Agents, Democracy.
Volume XIII, Issue II, February/2021 Page No:284

Introduction
In the present era of technological advancement, mass communication has become an inevitable
part of one’s life and is of immense importance, as it has emerged as an important platform for
maintaining feedback mechanism for the evaluation and interpretation of public
opinion1.Political participation, which is considered as a key ingredient of a successful
democratic process can only be achieved through active and politically aware citizens. This
awareness is achieved through various means, mass media being one. The role played by mass
media in the process of political awareness can hardly be ignored as it has emerged as one of the
fastest and effective means of communication. Mass media in general, can be understood as a
medium or a channel of communication through which information can be shared among the
larger audiences.
Emergence of politics as an institution has a long history and various reasons have
influenced politics over the years. Similarly, the mass media has also undergone tremendous
change over a period of time and with the advancement of modern technology, the mass media
has acquired such a formidable position that its influence can’t be ignored in our day to day life.
Democracy, mass media and public opinion are interdependent in true sense. It was during the
nineteenth century when newspapers hit the streets and its potential was felt among the masses it.
However it was not until the First World War- when the government used the mass media to
conduct news management and unleash propaganda2.
Mass media is considered as an important tool for disseminating information to a larger
number of audiences. Dutton (1998) has differentiated mass media form other types of
communication like interpersonal in terms of four essential characteristics. Like Distance
(communication between those who send and receive massages), Technology (means used for
communication), Scale (simultaneous communication with many people) and commodity (as for
communicating there is always a price, tools like computer, mobile etc.)3. These modes of
communication can send massages one to one, many to one, one to many and many to many.
1
P.N. Malhan, Communication Media, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, New Delhi, Ministry for
Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, 1985, p.69.
2
JethwaneyJaishri, Kapur Samir., When India Votes, The Dynamics of Successful Election Campaigning,
Rupa Publications, 2019. P6
3
Dutton, Brian, O’Sullivan, Tim and Rayne, Phillip, Studying the Media: Arnold, 1998.

Therefore these platforms are effectively used by governmental organizations and individuals to
communicate their massage to a larger audience.
Categorically mass media can be classified on the basis of the means used for
communication like Print media, electronic media and in recent times the concept of new media
has also emerged as one of the popular platforms for sharing information with the use of internet
and social media platforms. The popularity of new media or most commonly known as Social
Media has grown in the present time due to its heterogeneous and assorted characteristics. These
platforms for interactions and sharing opinions are most widely used especially among the
youths. The question ‘who coined the term is social media’ is much debated and the term ‘Social
media’ is said to have appeared in the early 1990s as a reference to those communications which
are web-based and enable online interactions4. Providing a single definition that encompasses all
the activities with social media would be extremely difficult as the scope of social media with
regard to its scope, format, topic and audience is extensive.
The expansive definition of social media was demonstrated by Trottier and Fuchs (2015),
according to them while considering the nature of social media, theorists may reasonably adopt
any of these three forms of sociality as a focal point: a) cognition, b) communication, or c)
cooperation. Cognition is concerned with knowledge shared through media such as newspapers,
websites or even televisions, which provide the masses with access to similar information as
would operate as social media platforms. Other means of communication media such as email,
chat or discussion forums would also fit within the scope of social media and lastly, cooperation
deals with interdependent acts toward a communal goal which is reflected in media platforms
such as Wikipedia, or even certain massively-multiplayer online role-playing games
(MMORPGs). Importantly, one’s definition of social media may differ based on their theoretical
stance and analytical concerns and definitions of social media need not necessarily be focused on
internet-based media developed in recent decades5.Social media gained popularity during the
2014 Indian parliamentary elections as traditional mass media is regulated by the election
4
Bercovici Jeff. 2010. “Who Coined “Social Media”? Web Pioneers Compete For Credit.”Forbes.
Retrieved from http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffbercovici/2010/12/09/who-coined-social-media-web-pioneers-
compete-for-credit/
5
Trottier, Daniel and Christian Fuchs. 2015. “Theorising Social Media, Politics and the State.” Pp.3-38 in
Social Media, Politics and the State: Protests, Revolutions, Riots, Crime andPolicing in the age of
Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, edited by Daniel Trottier and Christian Fuchs. New York, NY:
Routledge.

commission of India and this led to the use of social media platforms by the political parties in
order to reach wider audiences6.Social media is also most extensively used for communicating
information due to its easy accessibility and user friendliness. Apart from quickly transmitting
information to the receiver(s) these platforms also provide diversified massages to be sent like
blogs, photo sharing, video, audio, virtual group discussions, social gaming etc. which have
limited barriers in communicating the massages effectively.
Arunachal Pradesh can be said to be in its initial stages of development in the field of
technology due to many factors, one being its topographical features. Even the electronic and
print media started bit late as compared to other states in the north eastern region for instance the
first functional radio station was set up in Pasighat in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in
19667 and almost all the major newspapers which started in the late 1980’s in the state are
printed in the state capital (Itanagar) and are distributed in the districts which led to non-timely
delivery of papers, under this circumstances the social media lately have emerged as one of the
strongest means for communicating and keeping updates about the major developments in the
state. According to an online report published on ‘statista’, India has over 680 million active
internet users as on 7th July, 2020 majority of which are youths8.
The social media has a wider role to play in the present century as it is considered as one
of the most effective means of uninterrupted communication and these platforms has been
effectively used especially for electoral mobilization. Social media, over the years have made a
huge contribution in the electoral process, giving both citizens and their leaders the freedom of
speech and expression and the right to hold dialogues and discussions of the governments past
performance and the promises of the future9.
Social media platforms are most extensively used by the political parties and pressure groups to
spread their propaganda broadly to a larger audience, these platforms are also have been
effectively used by individuals, groups to mobilize movements to express displeasure over issues
and decisions of the government.
6
Meti.V (etal.)Khandoba P. K and Guru M. C,.Social Media for Political Mobilization in India: A Study
Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism Volume 5 Issue 9, 2015.
7
www.esatsiang.nic.in
8
www.statista.com/topics/5113/social-media-usage-in-india/
9
Khan BasirFarhat, The Game of Votes- Visual Media and elections in the Digital Era., Sage publications
India 2019. P.1.

Table: - 1.1 Population in Arunachal Pradesh as per 2011 census (Age Group wise).
Categories of Age Groups
Arunachal Pradesh
Age Group Persons Male Female

15-19 155968 78673 77295
20-24 131696 66033 65663
25-29 123714 63366 60348
30-34 101171 52462 48709
35-39 94391 48211 46180
Total 606940 308745 298195
Source- Data extracted from Census India 2011. http://censusindia.gov.in/
In an attempt to understand the population of youth in the state, the above table was
extracted from the 2011 census. Among the age groups 15 to 19 years and 20 to 24 years age
group comprises majority of the population. According to many studies undertaken, the use of
social media is more among the present generation; the above table could also provide us with a
rough numbers of probable users of new media.
Objectives of the Study

As mass media has become easily accessible to majority of the common population in the state
and with the introduction of social media platforms which are widely used by the present
generation youths, the present paper will attempt to understand the role played by social mediain
building political awareness among the youths in the selected area of study in Arunachal
Pradesh.
Area of study and Methodology
The area of the study comprises of three districts of Arunachal Pradesh namely TirapDistrist,
Papumpare District and West Siang District. The methodology of the present study adopted both
descriptive and analytical method. In order to understand the role of mass media in political
mobilization of youths in the state, face to face interviews and telephonic interviews with the
respondents were held and structured questionnaire were given to the respondents with whom
face to face interviews could not be held. The reverent data have also been collected from both
primary and secondary sources. Both published and unpublished works have been used as

secondary sources when required. Both male and female respondents were adequately
represented.
Table 1.2: -Table Showing Area of the study and number of Respondents
Area of the Study and Respondents

Number of
Name of The Districts Sl. No Name of area/Village Respondents
1 Soha Village 20
2 Deomali Town 20
Tirap District 3 Borduria Village 20
4 Khonsa Town 20
5 Kanubari Town 20
6 Itanagar Town 20
7 Doimukh Town 20
Papumpare District 8 Naharlagun Town 20
9 Midpu Village 20
10 Leki Village 20
11 Basar Town 20
12 Aalo Town 20
West Siang District 13 Kamba Village 20
14 Gori Village 20
15 Darka Village 20
Total Respondents 300
Finding precise definition of youth is more complex as different agencies/countries have defined
youth differently. United Nations defines ‘youth’ as person between 15 and 24 years of age 10.
Attempt to define specific age bracket for youths in India have also been highly debated and
there is hardly any consensus about the age category which should form the category referred to
as ‘youth’ in India. The categorization of Indian Youth has also varied from time to time in the
official Indian documents. Different National Youth Policies have also defined the age bracket
for youths in their policies like National Youth Policy-2003 defined Indian youth as a person
between 13-35 years of age, the National Youth Policy (2012), the age bracket was shrunk to 16-
30 years, but in the current National Youth Policy 2014, the youths’ are categorized under the
age bar between 15-29 years11. However for better outcome of the research, the present study has
7
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-andhuman-sciences/themes/youth/youth-defination/: Accessed
st
1 july 2019)
8
The National Youth Policy 2014 (2014). National Youth Policy., Ministry of Youth affairs and sports-
Govt. of India

included youth in between 19 to 35 years of age as respondent and also has incorporated youths
above 35 years due to non availability of respondents in some area/villages.
Figure 1.1: - Age wise distribution of Respondents
30 28%
25
19.33%
20
16%
15 14%
12 %
10.66%
10
0
Between 19-21 Between 22-24 Between 25-27 Between 28-30 Between 31-33 Above 35 years
years years years years years
Source:- Survey Data

The above figure highlights the age distribution of the youth respondents, majority of the
respondent’s i.e. 28 percent of them are in between 28 to 30 years of age, 19.33 per cent of them
are between 22 to 24 years of age, 16 per cent of them in between 25 to 27 years of age followed
by 14 per cent of them in between 31 to 33 years of age, 12 per cent of them between 19 to 21
years of age and 10.66 per cent of the respondents are above 35 years of age.
Democratic theories have assumed that well informed and active citizens as a key factor
for a democratic process, were citizens involves in the political process according to their
preferences12. Political awareness is considered to be vital for political participation as low
awareness among the citizens may work as a barrier for involvement in the affairs of the state.
Scholars have also opined that political awareness leads to the formation of strong public
opinion. Political awareness can be inherited through different means as in the current ere of
12
Dahl, Robert, A. (1989) Democracy and its critics. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
Cited in Carl Gortz, The significance of political awareness: a literature review with meta-analysis
University of Orebro School of Humanities, Education and Social Science, SE-701 82 Orebro,
Swedenhttps://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/54237989-a7eb-4e58-aa45-2de91b9df7e1.pdf

technological transformation, social media platforms offer direct source of information to the
receiver and act as an important platform for the citizens to express their displeasure over the
policies of the government. The social media apart from keeping the citizens politically aware
also acts as a medium for mass mobilization of citizens to voice against any disparities.
As the present work attempts to understand therole of social media in creating political
awareness among the youths in the selected areas of the study, the work tried to understand the
role of interest of the youths in common means of communication like newspapers and television
and commonly used social media platforms.
Table 1.3: Interest in reading newspapers and news related to politics
Reading Newspapers Response %
1 Highly Interested 105 35
2 Not Interested 41 13.66
3 Quit often 56 18.66
4 Sometimes 98 32.66
Total 300 100
Source: - Survey Data
The respondents were asked about their interest in reading newspaper especially news related to
politics, 35 per cent of the total respondents have said that they are highly interested in reading
newspaper and reading news related to politics, 32.66 per cent of them responded they read
newspaper sometimes, 18.66 per cent of them said quit often followed by 13.66 per cent of the
respondents are not interested in reading newspaper and news related to politics.
Table 1.4: Interest in watching News and political debates on Television
Interest in watching News and political debates on Television
Sl.No Opinion Responses %
1 Highly Interested 89 14.66
2 Not Interested 44 19.66
3 Quit often 59 29.66
4 Sometimes 108 36
Total 300 100
Regarding the respondents interest in watching news and political debated on television, the
above table 1.4 highlights the responses of the youths. Majority of the youths’ i.e. 36 per cent
prefer watching news and political debates on television sometimes, 29.66 per cent of them said
quit often, 19.66 per cent of them said they are not interested and only 14.66 per cent of the
youths are highly interested in watching news and political debates on television.

In the current age of technological advancement, mass media have become easily
accessible for the masses, therefore and attempt has been made in order to understand different
mass media platforms mostly used by the youths in Arunachal Pradesh. The figure (1.2) given
below illustrates the mass media platforms used by the youths. According to the figure, majority
of the youth respondents said that (36 per cent) they use social media platforms to keep
themselves updated mostly about political news. Further, 27 per cent of them depend on
television for news updates, 19 per cent of them on news papers, 7 per cent of online and offline
journals followed by 4 per cent on radio, 2 per cent on books and 1 per cent on podcast
respectively.
Figure 1.2:- Which among the following mass media platform do you use to keep yourself
updated about the political news?
Websites Most used Mass Media Platforms

4%
Newspapers
19%
Journals
Social Media 7%
36% Books
2%
Radio
4%
Television Podcast
Source- Survey Data. 27% 1%
(Total Respondents- 300)
Further the figure (1.3) given below highlights the youths respondents opinion about the most
used social media platforms among the respondents to keep themselves updated as well as for
their communication. The respondents were asked to response according to their preferences and
use of the given social media platforms. Accordingly, out of total 300 youth respondents 289 of
them said that among the social media platforms they prefer using whatsapp for any news
updates and for communication. Further, 271 of them use you tube for their updates, 267 of the
respondents relay on facebook, followed by 196 of the respondents use twitter and 6 of the youth

respondents said that they have never used social media platforms for any news update as well as
for communication. 34 of the responses said that apart from the above mentioned social media
platforms; they also use other platforms for their daily updates and communication.
Figure 1.3:- Which of the following Social media platforms, do you use the mostly Use.
(Multiple Responses)
350
300 289
267 271
--Number of Users--
250
196
200
150
Responses
100
50 36
6
0
Facebook Whatsapp Twitter Youtube Never Use Other
Platforms
--------Social Media Platforms--------
Source- Survey Data/ All figures are not in Percentage
Social media, especially facebook is widely used by the youths of the present generation,
as it is user friendly and can transmit one’s massage to another or a group. Groups in the
Facebook is one of the most common things that we come across and these groups provide good
platforms for expressing ones opinion as well as these groups have also proved on different
occasions that it can be used as one of the fastest means for mobilizing people for a specific
cause. It is due to this reason that on several occasions the state/central governments have shut
down internet facilities to curtail mass mobilization of people during specific movements. The
groups in social media have led to many movements as such in the state for instance, the protest
against the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) in the year 2018 where all
the protestors were mobilized through groups in the social media which led to the boycotting of
mains exam by some of the candidates13. Another such example is the protest against the issuing
of permanent residence certificate (PRC) to non indigenous residents of Arunachal Pradesh in
February 2019, which is also often referred to as a ‘leaderless movement’. This movement was
13
www.timesofindia.com November 11. 2018.

also totally mobilized through groups in the social media. After reports of violence in different
areas as well as death of two youths in the police firing, the state government had to ultimately
suspend the internet service for more than a week in order to control the situation14. The table 1.5
given below shows the number of popular groups in the facebook which are most widely used
and with highest number of members. Among the groups, voice of Arunachal, Voice of
Arunachal2, Citizen Journalist of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar All rounder and Let us fight
traffic violators in capital complex Itanagar are some of the major facebook platforms for group
discussions in the state.
Table 1.5: Most widely used groups on Social Media (Facebook) in Arunachal Pradesh (as
on 13.01.2021)
Groups with Most members in Facebook
Sl. No Groups on Facebook Members
1 voice of Arunachal 740500
2 voice of Arunachal-2 600100
3 Arunachal 24 × 7 27500
4 Citizen Journalist of Arunachal Pradesh 14147
5 SUMA 126001
6 Youth for social change 3008
7 We Arunachalees/United Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh 3001
8 Arunachal Post 1009
9 Itanagar All rounder 38749
10 Let us fight traffic violators in capital complex Itanagar 28000
Total 15,82,015
Source: - www.facebook.com
The state has recently seen the emergence of online media channels that are very active
on social media platforms like facebook and You Tube. In the absence of proper established
media channel in the state, most of these online media channels are run by independent journalist
and these online media houses have gained popularity in the state. These channels also provide
platform for the public to express their grievances over policies of the government. The table 1.6,
shows the popular online media channels in the state. Among 12 most viewed online news
channels, Arunachal Today, Arunachal Mirror, Itanagar News, Capital News and Arunachal
24.in are some of the popular news channels in the social media platforms in the state.
14
www.theindianexpress.com February25, 2019.

Table 1.6:Popular online media channels on Social Media in Arunachal Pradesh (as on
13.01.2021)
Popular online Media Channels in Arunachal Pradesh
Sl. No Name of the Media Channels Members
1 Arunachal Today 139,152
2 Arunachal Revolutionary News 15,526
3 Citizen Journalist of Arunachal Pradesh 12885
4 The Space 13262
5 Arunachal Mirror 135693
6 Itanagar News 115757
7 Capital News 68190
8 Arunachal 24 × 7 51095
9 Arunachal 24.in 61388
10 Gyoloo News 40117
11 Arunachal Headlines 27,316
12 AAPSU News 8002
Total Members 6,88,383
Source: - www.facebook.com and www.youtube.com
In order to understand the respondent’s opinion regarding the dependency on social

media for their day to day updates about social and political issues, the respondents were asked
to mark their level of dependency on social media for updates.
Table 1.7: Dependency on Social media for Socio-Political updates.
Do you think that the social media platforms keep you updated about
Political and social issues?
1 To Great Extent To some Extent Not at all No response Total
Responses 226 61 8 5 300
% 75.33 20.33 2.66 1.66 100
Accordingly, most of the respondents i.e. 75.33 per cent said that due to easy accessibility
of social media platforms they to a great extend rely on social media for socio-political updates.
Further 20.33 per cent of them said to some extend and 2.66 per cent of the respondents said they
do not relay on social media platforms for any updates regarding socio-political issues.

Table 1.8: Social Media and Information

How far do you rely on the information’s on social media
1 To Great Extent To some Extent Not at all No response Total
Responses 204 84 7 5 300
% 68 28 2.33 1.66 100
Source: Survey Data
The table above illustrates the responses of the youths on how far they rely on the information’s
given in the social media platforms. 68 per cent of the respondents said they rely on information
on social media to a great extent, 28 per cent of said to some extent and 2.33 per cent of the
respondents said they does not rely on any information given on social media platforms. 1.66 per
cent of the respondents did not respond to the question.
Table 1.9: Reading and Commenting on Political Contents in Social Media
Table No. Reading Political Content
Yes Sometimes No Always Total
Responses
A 84 61 155 300
Percent 28 20.33 51.66 100
Giving Comments
Mostly Sometimes Never Total
Responses
B 91 141 68 300
Percent 30.33 47 22.66 100
Reactions (Like, Share, forward etc)
Always Sometimes Never Total
Responses
C 65 171 64 300
Percent 21.66 57 21.33 100
Source: Survey Data
As majority of the respondents as shown in the above tables and figures are active on some or the
kind of social media platforms, it was deemed necessary to understand their participation in these
platforms as their participation can directly or indirectly influence the political behavior of others
and these activities of the users of social media platforms could also act as an important agent of
political socialization. The respondents were asked about their reactions on political contents that
they see on social media. Accordingly (table no. A) 51.66 per cent of the respondents said they
always read political contents on social media, 28 per cent of them said sometimes and 20.33 per
cent of them said they do not read political contents of social media. On the other hand 47 per
cent (table B) of the respondents said they sometimes comment on political contents on social
media, 30.33 per cent of them responded the comment mostly on political contents followed by

22.66 per cent said they never comment on political content. The social media functions like a
chain of networks and so is the information from one person to many. In order to understand how
the youths respond to political contents on social media, the respondents were asked whether
they like, share or forward political contents on social media (table C). Accordingly 57 per cent
of them said sometimes, 21.66 per cent of the respondents said they always like, share and
forward political contents available on social media platforms followed by 21.33 per cent of the
respondents never share, like and forward political contents on social media.
Table 1.10: While using social media, have you ever come across different kinds of political
campaigning like posters of contesting candidates, manifesto, videos etc trying to influence
you to vote for a particular political party or Candidate.
Political Campaigning using Social Media

Yes, Regularly Sometimes/often Never Seen Total
Responses 209 77 14 300
Percent 69.66 25.66 4.66 100
Source: Survey Data
The social media platforms are also greatly used by the political parties, political leaders and
government agencies for circulating information. During elections, social media plays an
important role in influencing the voters to vote for a particular party or a candidate as these
platforms offer audio-visual, picture and all types of massages that can reach easily to the users
of social media platforms. In order to understand the opinion of the youths about their
experiences of political campaigns on social media platforms, the above table was formulated.
69.66 per cent of the respondents have said yes to the question asked whether they encounter
posters, manifesto, videos etc trying to influence them especially during the election time to vote
for a particular party or a candidate. 25.66 per cent of the respondents said sometimes/often
while 4.66 per cent of the respondents claimed they had never seen such political campaign on
social media.
Lastly, the table below tries to put forward the opinion of the youth respondents about
whether social media platforms can create political awareness among the youth, majority of the
respondents opined that social media platforms are an important means for creating political
awareness among the youths (63 per cent, table-1.11), where as 13.66 per cent says no and 16.33
per cent replied can’t say as these group of youth respondents feel that social media is not the
only source for creating political awareness among the youth as these platforms can also spread

false propaganda which could also have divesting impact on the youth in particular and other
groups of population in general.
Table 1.11: Do you think that social media Platforms can help in creating Political
Awareness especially among the youths in the state
Social media Platforms and Political Awareness among the youths

No
Yes No Don’t Know Can’t Say Response Total
Responses 189 41 15 49 6 300
Percent 63 13.66 5 16.33 2 100
Source- Survey data
Conclusion and findings of the study
With reference to the process of political socialization of a young adults; mass media like
newspapers, magazines, comic books, movies etc. present a different form of political
socialization, as in these platforms the room for interactions is not offered and are one sided
mode of communication. Social media on the other hand have gained much popularity among
the young adults and effect their cognitive and social development at an early age15. In an era of
mass communication the world has become a global village and the younger generations are
more exposed to a wider range of information’s around the globe through faster means of
communication and are believed to be more aware through these means of communication.
Citizens are oriented and are updated about the information on politics through mass media.
Therefore these means of communication especially the social media platforms are of immense
importance today as it helps in raising the level of political awareness of the citizens and help in
maintaining the feedback mechanism for the evaluation and interpretation of public opinion16.
The present study consisted of mostly youths aged in between 28-30 years and between
22-24 years (figure 1.1). Among the youth respondents, majority of the youth are found to be
highly interested in reading newspapers and news related to politics. With regard to watching
news and political debates on television, the study found majority of the youths prefer watching
news and political debates only sometimes (36 per cent- Table 1.4). According to the study,
among the mass media platforms the youths are found to be more dependent on social media (36
15
Gonalez. G. R., Sociology, Kendall Hunt Publication, American Pg. p78.(2000)
16
P.N. Malhan, Communication Media, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, New Delhi, Ministry for
Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, 1985, p.69.

per cent), television (27 per cent) and newspapers (19 per cent, figure- 1.2) for keeping
themselves updated with political news. The data also shows that among the social media
platforms- whatsapp, you tube and facebook are mostly used by the youths for updates and
communication.
The study also found active participation of members in facebook groups which are
widely used for socio-political updates, open discussions regarding the affairs of the state in
particular. These groups are also widely used by the political parties, governmental institutions
and other agencies for widely circulating their massage to the common masses for the purpose of
mass mobilization and awareness. The study also found mass popularity of online news channels
on facebook and you tube platforms especially among the youths. Further, as per as the study,
the youth are found to be more dependent on the social media platforms for keeping themselves
updated to a great extend (75.33 per cent, table-1.7).As per as the study, majority of the youth
respondents (68 per cent) out of total respondents totally rely on information’s given on social
media. As majority of the social media platforms offer different dimensions for communication,
the youths are found to be very active on social media especially in terms of reading political
contents and sharing their opinion on the same.
In a nutshell it was found that social media platforms are being widely used by the
political parties and candidates especially during the elections as majority of the respondents
claimed that they have regularly encountered political campaigning by the political workers by
means of videos and party manifesto on social media platforms. Thus it is found that social
media is an important platform for creating political awareness among the general masses. The
role played by newspapers and television also can’t be disregarded as these sources of
information have always been in the front prior to the popularity of social media platforms as in
the present situation. It is also worth mentioning that apart from urban areas in the state; most of
the rural areas have recently gained access to internet and mobile network services which also
lacks continuous services. So considering these facts, print media and television also acts as an
important factor for youth political awareness in the state.

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Social Media and Political Awareness of Youths in Arunachal Pradesh: A Case

Article in Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research · June 2022

Youth Mobilization View project

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Joba Riba1and P.K Panigrahi2

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Age Group Persons Male Female

Objectives of the Study

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Area of the Study and Respondents

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Source:- Survey Data

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Websites Most used Mass Media Platforms

Source: - Survey Data

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In order to understand the respondent’s opinion regarding the dependency on social

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Table 1.8: Social Media and Information

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Political Campaigning using Social Media

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Social media Platforms and Political Awareness among the youths

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