The emphasis of this research is on how college students' use of social media affects their political knowledge, political efficacy, civic engagement, and participation in campus party politics on campuses that allow it and those that restrict it. In order to make the study's stated goals clearer, it is necessary to provide a concise explanation on social media.  In terms of global communication, social media have been revolutionary. It has revolutionized many aspects of human life, including education, play, relationships, creativity, and communication. We now incorporate it into our daily lives. It is more than simply a technology; it is a social change agent that has altered our ways of life in every way imaginable, including our employment, schooling, entertainment, social interactions, information collecting and sharing methods, and even our very existence.

Societal media has been defined differently by many academics. Many of these definitions share common ground, but a few stand out due to the additional weight they give to certain aspects of social media. As social media platforms have grown in popularity and integrated more functions, the word has taken on a broader meaning.  "Web sites and software programmes used for social networking" is how the word "Social Media" is defined in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Using web and mobile advancements to turn letters into intuitive discussion was termed by Benkler & Yochai in their 2006 study, the Wealth of Networks, as social media.

According to Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein's 2010 definition, "Social Media" refers to a collection of web-based apps that enable users to create and share content, drawing on the ideologies and technologies of web 2.0.

The availability of relevant information and knowledge is the primary condition for informed voting, argues Berelson (1952). Citizens who are well-informed tend to make more prudent choices, which is a condition that almost all democratic parties adhere to. The several elements that may foster and improve Political Knowledge have been the subject of certain studies. According to the findings, there are a number of things that contribute to a person's level of political knowledge, including exposure to formal education, news media, workplace discussions or social media, one's familial background, and membership in certain groups or political parties. In 2014, Rahmawati

Manjunatha (2023) found that Indian students spend a lot of time on social media networks. Actually, they spend between one and ten hours per week on SNS. Another difference is that students' social media use is higher among men than among females. The vast majority of students keep in touch with friends and family via social networking sites. The vast majority of students see these platforms favorably and think they're a great way to keep in touch with old friends, make new ones, and share what you know. Chatting and communicating on social media was also done by students.

Kumarasamy and Srinivasan (2017), In their research of the effects of social media apps on SMEs, discovered that these platforms enable SMEs to crowd-source ideas and alter their conventional methods of presence.Gaining more customers and fostering lasting connections with them is possible for businesses. Having well-defined policies for social media campaigns is essential for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Ahmad (2021) From 2018 to 2020, the ideal beginning years of social media in India, researchers saw a meteoric rise in the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut, which continued to gain traction year after year.

According to Rani (2014), Among the many benefits of social media as a stress reliever and tool for relationship maintenance was the fact that it is easily available, who researched the reasons for social media use in India. As a result, it aids in product purchase choices and raises money for social awareness initiatives. A lot of individuals who are looking for information online are catered to by this.

Research by Rajeev and Jobilal (2015) shows that kids' academic and social skills, as well as their capacity to complete tasks and assume responsibility, are negatively impacted by their heavy use of social media. On the other hand, there are benefits to using social media. As a result of using social media, young people have more self-assurance, more social support, and better media literacy. In a culture when everyone is so tech-savvy, it helps kids develop social skills.

The research design provides a structure for organizing and guiding the investigation. The research design is the blueprint for the study's execution that details the procedures for data collection, measurement, and analysis. This matter has been investigated via cross-sectional research that has included both descriptive and exploratory study methodologies. This study's overarching goal is to learn how political social media usage influences Punjabi voters' party affiliation, level of political engagement, and general outlook on politics. Punjabi voters are the intended audience. As anticipated, 600 voters made up the sample. we aimed to measure the relative effect of different media on political involvement by scoring both ideas on a five-point scale. In order to assess how political social media usage affects political involvement and attitude, regression analysis was used to get the desired results.

Influence Of Different Media On Political Attitude

Online news/websites, television, newspapers, social media, radio, candidates, magazines, political rallies, hoardings/posters, friends/relatives, and conducting regression analysis in Table 1 Model 1 explain 18.2% of the variation. Newspapers (ß =0.978, t =2.572, P-value 0.05), personal interactions with candidates (ß =1.269, t =2.497, P-value 0.05), and news websites and portals (ß =0.944, t =2.368, P-value 0.05) are the next strongest positive predictors of political attitude, after social media. Put simply, a more favorable outlook on political processes, candidates, and parties may be fostered via more engagement with online news sources, social media, and newspapers, as well as by more regular communication with candidates for office. Conversations with friends and family (ß =0.438, t =1.130, P-value>0.05), watching political events on television (ß =0.264, t =0.669, P-value >0.05), and reading political magazines (ß =0.33, t=0.479, P-value >0.05) all have a slightly positive effect on political attitudes. Negligible negative effects on political attitude are also shown for hoardings/posters (ß =-0.195, t =-0.306, P-value >0.05) and radio (ß =-0.102, t =-0.307, P-value >0.05). The media's impact on public opinion on political issues differs considerably, according to the findings of the hypothesis testing (H0 (1)).

Table 1: Regression Analysis (Model 1)

*Confidence level 95 per cent

It has been shown that many media sources have a weak to moderate connection to political interest. Consequently, one may argue that media consumption greatly influences political leanings. Additionally, voters' perceptions of political figures are significantly impacted by new media, including social media and online news sources, portals, and websites. Our results are in line with those of other studies that have also shown that new media has a positive influence on political attitude, since it has become a crucial source for political information and communication (Wang, 2007, Chang, 2006).

Also, more and more individuals are seeking out political information online, and those who do so utilize a variety of platforms, especially social media, to express themselves. Furthermore, study revealed that direct interaction with political candidates is a critical component in developing a good attitude toward politics, even if individuals seldom choose to do so (x = 2.01). Having face-to-face interactions with certain demographics may be advantageous for politicians, according to this theory. Because of their central role in the dissemination of political news, newspapers have been shown to be excellent indicators of traditional media audiences' political leanings (Kaur and Verma, 2018). According to Kononova, Alhabash, and Cropp (2011), the credibility of newspaper, internet, and television news is graded from most to least. Even if the majority of respondents said they learned about politics via TV (Stetka and Mazak, 2014), new studies reveal that TV doesn't affect people's optimism much. Plus, going to a political rally is a great way to get information, which helps shape opinions—even if over 50% of those who took the survey had never gone. A more positive attitude could also be the outcome of discussing politics with loved ones.

To sum up, one's political views are significantly influenced by the media they consume. However, different media outlets have different impacts on public opinion; some have a positive effect that is large or insignificant, while others are negative. Therefore, it is clear that social media, together with conventional media, significantly influences people's political views. Therefore, more effective results may be achieved by integrating traditional and modern media.

Scrolling down, you can see how different types of media influence aspects that influence people's political attitudes. Three separate models were constructed, with different media serving as independent factors and political interest, political efficacy, and political knowledge as dependent variables. In the part that follows, we provide the results of the study that was carried out to ascertain the effects of different media on political interest, political efficacy, and political knowledge within the relevant models.

Influence Of Different Media On Political Interest

We suggested Model 2 to look at how different types of media affect people's interest in politics. Table 2 shows that Model 2's adjusted R square value is 0.121, suggesting that different media may explain 12.1% of the variance. According to this research, there is a strong correlation between the use of social media and a more favorable political atmosphere than with any other kind of media (ß =0.715, t =3.283, P-value 0.05). Aside from these, there were other factors that were found to have an insignificant positive influence on political interest, such as friends and relatives, newspapers, political rallies, television, and hoardings/posters. When compared to newspapers and television, magazines and radio had a negligible negative effect on political interest (ß =-0.156, t =-0.565, P-value >0.05). The findings of the hypothesis test indicate that various types of media have diverse impacts on people's interest in politics (H0 (1a)).

Table 2: Regression Analysis (Model 2)

*Confidence level 95 per cent

The results of this research are in agreement with those of Banerjee and Chaudhuri (2018) and Dostie-Goulet (2009), who also found that the media significantly influenced the level of political interest among voters. According to recent research, the influence of new media in arousing public interest in politics is growing, particularly via online news portals and social media. Daekyung and Johnson (2006) and Holt et al. (2013) showed similar results, showing that new media positively impacted political interest more than traditional media. Furthermore, Boulianne (2011) used jail data to show that there is a positive correlation between reading news online and becoming politically active. Furthermore, while magazines and radio have a negative effect on generating political interest, print, broadcast, outdoor, personal contact with candidates, rally attendance, and social contact through conversation all have positive effects. Various impacts on political interest are caused by using multiple news channels. Television news, newspapers, and social contact have certainly been associated with improved results, but not in a strong or substantial manner. Nonetheless, other works, such Brundidge (2010), Stromback and Shehata (2018), Schulhofer-Wohl and Garrido (2013), and McLeod, Scheufele, Moy (1999), have advocated for the use of these sources to educate voters about politics.

Certainly, media consumption has an influence on voters' interest in politics, but the rise of new media has been especially fruitful in igniting passion. Therefore, political players may think that new media piques people's interest in receiving information. The ability of the media to stimulate voters' interest in politics may, nevertheless, determine the selection and influence of media. In terms of relevance and interconnection, various forms of media exert different kinds of impacts.

Influence Of Different Media On Political Efficacy

In Model 3, various media are set up as independent variables, and the dependent variable is the political effectiveness. Media diversity may explain 11% of the variance in political effectiveness, according to the adjusted R square for the applicable model, which is 0.11 (Refer to Table 3). We considered beta values in order to dig further into the function of different media. Newspapers (ß=0.377, t =2.146, P-value0.05), social media (ß=0.558, t =3.350, P-value0.05), and direct contact with candidates (ß=0.360, t =1.560, P-value0.05) were shown to be the most successful among all other forms of media in terms of politics. In addition, going to political rallies (ß =0.32, t =0.899, P-value >0.05), interacting with friends and family (ß =0.144, t =0.787, P-value >0.05), seeing hoardings or posters (ß =0.082, t =0.345, P-value >0.05), and reading news online (ß =0.070, t =0.392, P-value >0.05). In contrast, there were minor negative impacts on political effectiveness from radio (ß =-0.035, t =-0.119, P-value >0.05) and television (ß =-0.026, t =-0.097, P-value >0.05). A variety of media outlets have varied effects on political effectiveness, as shown by the results of the hypothesis test (H0 (1b)).

Table 3: Regression Analysis (Model 3)

*Confidence level 95 per cent

A person's political effectiveness may be defined as their subjective assessment of their own or other political actors' abilities to influence policy. Political media use, on the other hand, has the potential to boost public confidence in political candidates and their causes. A modest to moderately positive correlation exists between media effectiveness and political efficacy. In a similar vein, Jung, Kim, and Zuniga (2011) found that there is a strong correlation between media impact and political effectiveness. Research shows that social media has a more individual influence than traditional media. The positive effect of internet use, especially social media, on political effectiveness has been cited by everyone from Wang (2009) to Halpern et al. (2017) to Velasquez and Quenette (2018). There was a positive association between internet usage, political activity, and self-efficacy, according to research by Hoffmann and Lutz (2019).

Furthermore, reading the newspaper has a higher favorable effect on political effectiveness, according to Moeller et al. (2014), although engaging directly with political candidates and social media also have a substantial impact. The ability to engage in politics is more firmly believed by voters who use social media, read newspapers, or maintain contact with candidates, according to recent research. Television had a negative, marginal effect on political effectiveness, but internet news consumption had no effect at all. On the other hand, Moeller et al. (2014) found that television had no significant impact and that internet news had a favorable but weak affect. Furthermore, other forms of media, like periodicals, hoardings, and personal talks, may have also had an influence, although a positive one.

Finally, except for radio and television, most forms of media help get the political message out. While many other types of media disseminate political news, the two most powerful are social media and newspapers. This shows that newspapers and other conventional forms of media continue to play a significant role in politics, despite the fact that social media has altered the established wisdom.

Influence Of Different Media On Political Knowledge

To learn more about how different media affect political literacy, researchers dug deeper. Model 4 uses media exposure as an independent variable and political literacy as a dependent variable. Table 4 shows that the corrected R square for the relevant model is 0.144, which means that 14.4% of the difference in political knowledge is explained by various media. It was discovered that when compared to other forms of media, political rallies, newspapers, and social media all considerably and more effectively promoted positive political awareness than other forms of media. Furthermore, there has been a positive influence on political knowledge from television (ß=0.29, t =1.689, P-value >0.05), online news/websites/news portals (ß =0.172, t=1.277, P-value >0.05), magazines (ß =0.038, t =0.213, P-value >0.05), and direct contact with candidates (ß =0.205, t =2.005, P-value >0.05). In contrast to the insignificant negative impacts of radio (ß =-0.033, t =-0.176, P-value >0.05) and interpersonal discussions (ß =-0.023, t =-0.126, P-value >0.05) on political knowledge, the impact of billboards and posters is substantial (ß =-0.4, t =-2.337, P-value 0.05). The findings of the hypothesis test indicate that various forms of media have diverse impacts on people's political awareness (H0 (1c)).

Table 4: Regression Analysis (Model 4)

*Confidence level 95 per cent

Previous research has also indicated a strong correlation between media exposure and political literacy, especially among those who rely on more traditional news sources to stay abreast of current events (Jung, Kim, and Zuniga, 2011). Model 4's findings corroborate this trend. Nevertheless, this study's findings demonstrated that social media, along with more conventional forms of media such Television news (De Vreese and Boomgaarden, 2006; Mujani and Liddle, 2010), newspaper news (Kentmen, 2010; Snyder and Stromberg, 2008), internet news (Shaker, 2009; Anduiza et al., 2012), and radio news (Kentmen, 2010) were all found to positively correlate with audience political knowledge, according to researchers who examined a variety of media in various studies.

Those that take part in political conversations also tend to know more about politics, according to the research (Jung, Kim, and Gil de Zuniga, 2011). But this study contradicts the findings of Chan (2017) and Kentmen (2010), who found that people's political knowledge decreased as their social media usage increased.
Therefore, it's reasonable to assume that the media has a major impact on how people interpret politics. But the effect of each media source is different; some have a favorable effect that is large or insignificant, while others exacerbate political ignorance.

Influence Of Different Media On Political Participation

Model 5 was also proposed to study the impact of different media on political participation. Table 5 shows that the adjusted R square for Model 5 is 0.302, which means that the various media explain 30.2% of the variance in political activity. Consequently, it's arguable that media coverage has a substantial impact on political forecasts of voter participation. In Table 5, we can see that Model 5 indicates that political rallies, social media, newspapers, and direct contact with candidates all have a significant impact on voters' propensity to become politically active (ß=2.576, t =5.66, P-value 0.05). Put simply, people are more likely to show political involvement if they participate in political activities like going to political events, reading political publications, utilizing social media, or communicating with candidates. Furthermore, neither television nor online news/websites/news portals had any positive effect on political involvement (ß =0.487, t =1.306, P-value >0.05; ß =0.06, t =2.717, P-value >0.05). What this implies is that individuals are urged to become involved in politics, even if only in a little way, like watching news on television or visiting websites online. The negative impacts of hoardings and posters on political involvement are strong (ß =-1.030, t =-2.403, P-value 0.05), in contrast to the insignificant effects of radio and magazines (ß =-0.125, t =-0.278, P-value >0.05 and ß =-0.89, t =-0.195, P-value >0.05, respectively). Surprisingly, those who see hoardings or posters while seeking information are less likely to become politically active. If H0 (2) is correct, then various forms of media have diverse effects on people's willingness to become involved in politics.

Table 5: Regression Analysis (Model 5)

*Confidence level 95 per cent

In addition, Smart PLS was used to assess the data, which fulfilled all the criteria for regression analysis. the extent to which different types of media influence people's political views and engagement. The results show that various forms of political media, including candidates' own campaigns, online news, social media, newspapers, and others, all have a significant impact on people's political views; however, social media has a relatively larger impact than candidates, online news, and newspapers. The results show that this selected media consumption accounts for 25.1% of the variance in political attitude, with a R square value of 0.251. There is substantial evidence that candidates, social media, newspapers, and online news all have a role in shaping people's political views. But compared to politicians, newspapers, and internet news, social media is much more influential.

Media consumption explains 34.6% of the variance in political engagement (R squared = 0.346). Individuals are most affected by attending political rallies as a form of political participation, followed by communicating directly with candidates, using social media, reading or watching television, and talking to friends and family. On the other hand, political involvement suffers when knowledge is hoarded and made public.

In conclusion, the statistics in the table above show that voters are more likely to agree (91.25% vs. 8.75% disagree) that social media is effectively converting views into votes. As a result, social media has caused a sea change in people's political opinions. A review found a strong correlation between political leanings and web-based entertainment. Research has shown that using social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and YouTube may influence party selection. When it comes to decision-making, Facebook users will inevitably go with the BJP, AAP, and INC. To be fair, AAP tends to win over voters who are active on social media platforms like Twitter or YouTube more often. Similarly, encouraging political activity via WhatsApp can sway users to support INC. Everybody usually retweets AAP's culturally integrative demands, which mostly include things like youth, women, health, debasement, education, health, business, water, and energy for typical activities. Businesses, frameworks, health, growth, improvements, regulations, speculation, ancestral, trickery, and ranchers have all been areas of concentration for the BJP. On the other hand, issues like economics, demonetization, debasement, security, work, women, charge, neediness, and unlawful intimidation were handled by the INC.