Social Media and Political Participation of the Youth in Contemporary Zimbabwe

Social media platforms have changed the behaviour of youth political participation in contemporary Zimbabwe. Given the popularity of technology, social media platforms have facilitated easier and faster ways of sharing and seeking information and political campaigns. This study sought to analyse social media integration and political participation with specific reference to youths in contemporary Zimbabwe. Circulating information on social media can influence one’s political views and participation. Hence, critical analysis was needed to determine how social media affects youths’ political participation in Zimbabwe. The study draws analytical praxes from the political activity theory and technology acceptance model to determine how social media influences youths’ political participation. The researcher used primary and secondary data sources such as journal articles and book chapters to collect data to analyse social media and youth political participation in Zimbabwe. The researcher also used content and thematic analysis to analyse data. Findings presented that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness promote the use of social media and political engagement. An interesting finding was that social media is used for political campaigns even though the voting process is done through secret ballot. However, a major concern is the challenge of hoax messages, ghost accounts and ghostwriters on social media platforms as the majority of people have become citizen reporters and journalists. Nevertheless, these findings conclude that social media platforms promote online political participation and less offline political participation. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has a pressing need to consider online voting to cover the gap between online and offline political participation towards the 2028 elections and beyond.