THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA POLITICAL CONTENT ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF POLITICAL AWARENESS

Abstract

The rapid expansion of social media has fundamentally transformed political communication by enabling citizens to access, share, and engage with political information in real time. This study examines the effect of social media political content on political participation, with political awareness as a mediating variable. Drawing upon Uses and Gratifications Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and Cognitive Mobilization Theory, the study proposes that exposure to political content on social media enhances political awareness, which subsequently leads to increased political participation. A quantitative research design using a cross-sectional survey was employed, and data were analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) to test direct and indirect relationships among variables. The findings reveal that social media political content has a significant positive effect on political awareness (β = 0.52) and political participation (β = 0.28). Political awareness also significantly influences political participation (β = 0.41). Mediation analysis confirms that political awareness partially mediates the relationship between social media political content and political participation (indirect effect β = 0.21, p < 0.001). The model explains a moderate to substantial proportion of variance in political participation (R² = 0.42). Effect size analysis further indicates that social media political content has a large effect on political awareness, while political awareness has a medium effect on political participation. Overall, the study demonstrates that social media political content influences political participation both directly and indirectly through the enhancement of political awareness. The findings highlight political awareness as a key cognitive mechanism linking digital media exposure to democratic engagement. The study contributes to theoretical advancement by integrating Uses and Gratifications Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and Cognitive Mobilization Theory into a unified framework. Practically, it offers implications for policymakers, educators, media organizations, and political actors aiming to promote informed and meaningful civic participation in the digital era.