Role of Social Media in Political Campaigns in Pakistan: A Case Study of 2018 Elections

Abstract

This study analyzes the two social networks: Facebook and Twitter and explores the role of social networks in political campaigns during general elections in Pakistan which were held on 25th of July, 2018. Through social media, all main parties focused to campaign with the use of social media and traditional campaigns. During the elections campaign, political parties had tried to get more coverage in news and advertisements for changing the mind of the voters. This research adopted a qualitative approach with the help of secondary sources. Notably Facebook and Twitter played an important role in 2018 elections. People used internet and observed campaign on regular basis. Social media showed first-class competitors or party aspects, not just a favorable part. By analyzing the data, it was revealed that mostly Facebook users were inclined towards PML-N; while, majority Twitter users were found more inclined towards PTI.