The Impact of Social Media on Political Trust

This thesis explores how social media use affects adults’ trust in political institutions inSweden, with a special focus on Malmö. A survey with 414 people was used to examine thelink between social media habits, seeing political content online, and trust in institutions likethe parliament, government, political parties, and the EU. The results show that apps likeTikTok and Instagram have a clear connection to political trust, while platforms like Twitterdo not. The study uses theories such as Putnam’s social capital (2000), Castells’ networksociety, selective exposure, and political thinking. Data from other sources, likeMediebarometern (2023), Internetstiftelsen (2022), and Ilter (2022), are used to compare withthe results. The study shows that social media can both increase and decrease trust in politics,depending on how people use them. This helps us better understand how digital media affectsdemocracy and trust in today’s society.