YOUTH DIGITAL ACTIVISM AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION (2020–2024)

Abstract

From 2020 to 2024, Pakistan's online political participation was characterized by unprecedented turmoil, including government reforms, mass mobilization, and persistent digital activism. This period of political chaos spurred debate about
democratic standards, making this an ideal time to examine youth political engagement. Using social movement and digital democracy theory, this study examines how social media platforms have transformed youth political views and democratic participation in Pakistan. The digital world makes it more convenient for young people to participate in civic engagement (by supporting petitions, joining online initiatives, or promoting awareness). But there's still an ongoing debate about whether this online activity replaces real-world action (like protests, voting, or civic engagements). This study examines these arguments by using survey data from 500
participants in the Twin Cities, selected through purposive sampling to represent digitally active young people across four groups: university students, young professionals, digital activists, and community members. The survey measures political attitudes, democratic values, online engagement, and offline civic participation, with rationality and consistency. Spearman's rank correlation and chi-square tests were employed to examine hypotheses regarding the relationships among digital activism, pro-democratic orientations, offline participation, and political polarization. Findings indicate that higher levels of online political engagement are linked to stronger democratic values and greater civic involvement; however, the relationship between digital and offline participation is nuanced, suggesting that digital activism functions as a balancing act, rather than a replacement for, traditional civic engagement among youth.