Social Media’s Impact on the Formation of Young People’s Political Identity (A Case Study of Youth in Tehran)

The present study was conducted with the aim of examining the impact of social media on the formation of the political identity of young people in Tehran. In terms of purpose, this research is applied, and in terms of nature, it is a mixed-methods study (quantitative and qualitative) with a descriptive-correlational approach. In the qualitative section, 25 young people from Tehran were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation and were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. In the quantitative section, 500 young people aged 18 to 35 living in Tehran were selected using convenience sampling, and the data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. Quantitative data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, while qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis following the six-phase approach of Braun and Clarke.The results of the qualitative section led to the identification of seven overarching themes, including identity formation within the framework of filter bubbles, the role of political interactions in redefining identity, and media literacy as a moderating factor of influence. The findings also showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the eight dimensions of social media - type of consumed content, political interactions and discussions, membership in virtual political groups, identity representation and presentation, media literacy, platform diversity, trust in political content, and communication networks and social ties - and the formation of young people’s political identity.