The Role of Social Media in Political Education and Election Socialization Among Generation Z

Abstract

The development of digital technology has changed the landscape of political education and election socialization, especially for Generation Z. This generation has a tendency to consume political information through social media, which offers quick access, interactive, and easier to understand than traditional media. However, this phenomenon also brings challenges, such as the spread of political hoaxes, information bias, and polarization of public opinion. This study aims to analyze the role of social media in political education and election socialization for Generation Z, by highlighting its benefits, challenges, and effectiveness in increasing political awareness and participation. The method used in this study is library research, by collecting and analyzing various scientific articles, academic journals, and reports from official institutions related to the role of social media in politics. The data analyzed comes from national and international sources published in the last five years (2019-2024). The analysis technique used is content analysis, with a thematic approach to identify the main patterns in digital political education. The results of the study show that social media plays an important role in increasing the political awareness of Generation Z through accessible, interactive, and visual-based content such as infographics and short videos. However, challenges such as disinformation and algorithmic bias are still obstacles to their effective utilization. Therefore, a more structured strategy is needed to increase digital political literacy for Generation Z, including stricter regulations against the spread of hoaxes and an increase in social media-based political education campaigns.