The Influence of Selected Social Media Platforms on Youth Participation in the 2022 General Elections in Nairobi, Kenya

Social media has been used to advance political inquiry, interactions and broader public and international engagement. However, being a new technological advancement, there is little empirical evidence on its effectiveness as a stimulant to political participation. This study thus sought to empirically establish the relation between social media usage and youth participation in general elections in Kenya. The theoretical grounding for the study was informed by the cognitive engagement theory and the scope limited to youth within Nairobi County. A descriptive approach was adopted towards this end and questionnaires used in data collection. The study was able to obtain a 98% response rate; of these, 65% had participated in the 2022 general election. Facebook (85%) and Twitter (73%) were the most popular social media platforms. The regression findings revealed that holding all other factors constant at least 39.6% of the variations in youth participation in the general election in Kenya are determined by social media utilization. On the first objective, it was established there is a positive moderate relation between social media engagement and youth participation in the 2022 general election in Kenya. Regarding the second objective, the findings established there is a positive moderate relation between social media engagement and youth participation in the 2022 general election in Kenya. The third objective indicated that there is a positive strong relation between social media mobilization and youth participation in the 2022 general election in Kenya. Recommendations were for the government and other regulatory bodies to develop policies to curtail the spread of fake news on social media platforms especially during the election period. It’s recommended that relevant government agencies such as the Communication Authority of Kenya should create awareness among the public on the importance of using digital platforms to pass or receive information on issues concerning politics and elections.