Social media are defined by Carr and Hayes (2015) as online platforms that facilitate chance encounters between users, who can then present themselves selectively to wide or specific users in real time or at a later time; these users benefit from user-generated material and the feeling that they are connecting with other people.  To put it simply, social media are "web-based services that enable individuals, communities and organizations to collaborate, connect, interact and build community through the creation, modification, sharing, and engagement with user-generated contentMcCay-Peet and Quan-Haase (2017) tell us more.  Kietzmann et al.'s (2011) study on social media classification shows how social media can be used for many things.  This list of types shows how social media have become important for users' self-and other-perceptions by focusing on identity and covering six features: presence, connections, reputation, groups, discussions, and sharing.

The current research takes political knowledge as one of its factors. Political knowledge is defined by Delli Carpini and Keeter (1996) as a body of factual political information that is retained in one's memory throughout time. Citizens in a functioning democracy value political knowledge highly. With the right amount of political literacy, citizens can make educated decisions about who should lead them and what policies should be put in place.  Political knowledge is defined by Kate Kenski (2006) as the ability to recall and apply facts on government policies, current events, officials (both elected and appointed), and political candidates. A number of studies have shown that individuals are more likely to care about political events when they have a higher level of political knowledge. In addition to making individuals more effective democratic citizens and more vocal advocates for their political views, increased political literacy may inspire them to take part in more ways than ever before. Being politically aware is crucial for people for a democracy to function.

A large body of research suggests that, to varied degrees, having political knowledge increases one's likelihood of actively participating in political processes. A lack of political engagement was the main reason young people gave for their ignorance of politics, according to research by Jung et al. (2011). If one is well-versed in the ways in which politics and government policies affect one's daily life, then one may be more inclined to become politically active (Polat, 2005). (Data presented by Rahmawati in 2014).

Siddiqui and Singh (2016) Student cooperation have improved in both quality and quantity as a result of social media, say. Companies also use social media to boost internal efficiency. Nevertheless, there are downsides to social media as well. Students are distracted from their studies, there are privacy concerns, and corporations see a decline in productivity as a result of employees' greater use of these platforms.

Kaushik (2022) In his study of how social media affects people on advertising, states that these platforms allow for two-way communication between consumers and brands. Through constant discussion, it bridges the gap between marketers and customers, aids in trust-building, and facilitates appropriate audience interaction, therefore serving all marketing functional areas. Additionally, it helps companies in understanding how the general public views a firm or its product.Yet, it does have its drawbacks.Any sort of false information may be devastating to a brand's marketing efforts, and social networking activity should not be obtrusive or bothersome to consumers.

According to Gupta and Shahila (2023), Social media networks might play a leading role in rural development, In the agricultural sector, these networks facilitate the sale of crops while aiming to cut out intermediaries. Promoting health care in rural regions has been a successful endeavor for social media networks. There has been little success for social media in influencing politics in rural areas. The disparity between urban and rural areas' information hubs, however, may be reduced with improved IT infrastructure.

Nivedhitha, and Krishnatray (2023), Teenagers in Kerala visit social networking sites more often than they use the internet for schoolwork, according to research by Varghese, compared to males, girls spend a greater how much time they spend on social media.  We looked at four things about social media that contributed to user satisfaction: ease of use, connection, relaxation, and communication.

Shree (2016), People who spend a lot of time on Facebook, have many friends, and have a positive impression of social media sites are more likely to like, comment, and share their friends' posts, according to research on What effect does social media have on the mental health of Indian users? Additionally, they trust Facebook users more than before. People are more likely to show tolerance for others' diverse beliefs online when they have a favorable association with Facebook. People are also encouraged to show more empathy on Facebook.

The present investigation employed a mixed-methods approach as it included qualitative and quantitative research techniques. In order to construct a theoretical framework, the qualitative study relied on secondary sources such as journals, books, publications, articles, etc. In addition, the study looked at several political party official pages on the internet using content analysis, a qualitative research method. This quantitative study's main data came from a survey that employed a structured questionnaire. A web-based sample size calculator takes into account the total number of voters, confidence level, margin of error, and the number of votes cast to determine a sample size of 600 voter Multistage quota sampling was used to eliminate bias in the selection of the sample. The three areas that comprise Punjab are Malwa, Majha, and Doaba We used Partial Least Square Structured Equation Modelling to investigate how social media use influences the moderating effects of voter demographics on party choice in politics. Various other methods, including descriptive and correlational analyses, were also used to get the desired results.

Most Used Social Media Platform

Further research on patterns of social media engagement was also carried out. The social media site that people said they used the most in the last 12 months was up for grabs. Over half of the respondents use WhatsApp as their primary social media channel, according to statistics in Table 1. Similarly to how only 12.5% of users selected Facebook, 20.0% of users selected YouTube, and 4.16% of users selected Instagram. On the other hand, Twitter has the lowest user engagement rate of any medium at 8.3%. Furthermore, Men are more likely than women to use Instagram and WhatsApp. YouTube, Facebook, and blogs. Those under the age of 35 are more likely to use Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube, while those over the age of 35 prefer Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube. Consequently, the two most popular social media sites are WhatsApp and YouTube, and this is true across all age groups.

Looking at the average number of visits on the most popular social media platform, we find that 33.3% of respondents used it more than 15 times per week, compared to 12.5% who used it 5 to 9 times, 4.16% who used it 10 to 15 times, 30.0% who used it 3 to 4 times, and 20.0% who used it just once or twice. On average, women logged into the most popular social networking sites more often than men. There is one social media platform that younger users use more than older users, when looking at this data in the context of age.

Table 1: Social Media User Pattern

We also looked at the numbers to see how long people usually spend on each social media platform. Ten percent of those surveyed spent fifty minutes to an hour every day on the most popular social networking site, as seen in Table 1. It was observed that 33.3% of respondents had spent more time than our average, despite the fact that 10.0% spent one to two hours every visit, 13.3% spent less than half an hour, and 23.3% spent two to five hours. There is also little difference in the length of time men and women spend each visit. People under the age of 35 visit a certain social networking site more often, but most of them don't spend more than half an hour there each time.

Different Media Used For Political Purpose

We also looked at the data to discover which news sources people often turn to for political news. Figure 1 shows that among the many ways people learn about politics, the three most common are word of mouth TV (x = 3.06), social media (x = 3.00), and radio (x = 3.36).  Most people don't listen to the radio (x=1.94), go to political events (x=1.87), or talk to politicians (x=2.06).  What this means is that social media (23.8%) and TV (15.26%) are the two most popular and often used types of media. The same holds true for the fact that 12.6% of the population would rather learn about politics via casual discussion with loved ones. On the other hand, those who are interested in politics seldom attend events or vote for candidates (0.03%). The least popular media, at 0.03%, was found to be radio.

Figure 1: Different types of media used to report on politics

How Political Users Use Facebook

To gauge Facebook's political use, researchers looked at how often users sought out or shared political content. Researchers found that people were doing less of what they normally would have been doing, with averages ranging from 1.58 to 2.09 across all categories. Figure 2 displays the responses from Facebook users, who prefer to do the following in that order: posting or sharing media People shared files (2.09 times), changed their status (1.98 times), took notes (1.97 times), watched livestreams on Facebook (1.88 times), left comments on a wall (1.88 times), "Like" a political party or politician's fan page (1.83 times), and chose to go to an event (5.2% of people). People also changed their status (6.4%) and watched livestreams (4.8%). of political content on Facebook is, all things considered, what people like to do most of the time.

Figure 2: Use of Facebook for Political Reasons

How Political Users Use Twitter

Political figures and regular citizens alike use Twitter for a wide range of political discourse. Respondents have used Twitter far less often than any other social media site, despite its importance. Moreover, all behavior such as "following" (x =1.43), "joining a political debate" (x =1.42), "joining a political discussion" (x=1.41), "replying" to a political tweet (x =1.40), "mentioning" (x =1.39), "receiving" a direct message (x =1.38), "posting" A whopping 78% of those who took the survey said they'd never utilized Twitter to further their political agenda.

Figure 3: Twitter Use for Political Reasons

How Youtube Is Used For Politics

YouTube is a website for sharing videos. allows users to both create and view videos uploaded by other users. According to the results of this study, YouTube is the second most popular form of online media. On average, 1.79 points are awarded because they left comments on films posted by political groups or leaders, you can get 2.09 points for joining to a political channel, 2.08 points for sharing a political video, 2.03 points for watching live political streaming, 1.80 points for going live on YouTube, and 1.78 points for posting a political video. While most respondents didn't participate in any way—not uploading, commenting, or going live—it was found that over half of them People watched live streams and shared videos on YouTube, which suggests that they don't make their own content but instead receive and share content made by other people.

Figure 4: The use of YouTube for political purposes

Use Of Whatsapp In Politics

In addition to text and voice discussions, WhatsApp users may also exchange photos, documents, and other media. The majority of respondents use WhatsApp for communicating with friends and family (x =2.73), posting political messages or photos in groups (x =2.48), changing their status to reflect their political stance It's also possible to join groups for political parties or leaders (x =1.96). Individually (29.71%) or collectively (27.5%), individuals often exchange political messages or pictures.

Figure 5: WhatsApp Usage for Political Purpose

Research shows that media use significantly impacts political understanding. Ultimately, all news outlets have an impact on political news in their own unique way; some have a positive or negative influence, some are more helpful than others. So, there is a good connection between political information and political gatherings, periodicals, and online pleasure. The three platforms that have the most influence on political awareness, feasibility, and affiliation are Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. WhatsApp and YouTube have shown to be the primary platforms that significantly increase political interest. Political ideal models in Punjab have evolved as a result of the rise of internet entertainment, according to the continuing study. Therefore, political actors should think about how to spread knowledge through new media and rally support for their causes. Whether or whether politicians often use internet entertainment as a seductive tactic, traditional media genuinely have considerable importance.