SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM BY MILLENNIALS SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION ON SOCIAL ISSUES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/ijetmr.v12.i(4SE).2025.1590Keywords:
Social Media Activism, Millennial, Real-World Action, BeliefsAbstract
This study examines the role of social media activism by millennials shaping public opinion with a focus on social pressure, group belonging, and long-term engagement. It aims to understand whether online activism translates into real-world actions and how factors like normative social influence, collective action, and repeated exposure impact participation. A quantitative research design was used, collecting responses from millennials via a Likert-scale survey. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression modeling were conducted to identify key predictors of social media activism engagement. Cronbach’s Alpha was used to assess reliability.
The results indicate that social pressure and group belonging significantly influence millennials’ engagement in social media activism. Normative social influence and alignment with peer groups were strong predictors of participation. However, offline action and changing long-held beliefs were not significant, suggesting that social media activism raises awareness but does not necessarily translate into real-world action or long-term belief changes. The model explained 20.4% of the variance in social media activism’s impact on beliefs.
The study is limited by focuses exclusively on millennials, limiting generalizability to other age groups. The research identifies correlations but does not establish reason. Future studies should explore longitudinal effects, cross-cultural differences, and platform-specific activism trends. Organizations and advocacy groups can use these findings to enhance engagement strategies by leveraging social pressure and peer alignment. Campaigns should focus on creating a sense of community to encourage participation while recognizing that online activism alone may not drive offline actions.
This study contributes to the growing discourse on digital activism by highlighting the psychological and social drivers of participation. It provides insights into why millennials engage in social media activism and whether online movements create meaningful impact beyond digital spaces. The findings help bridge the gap between social media engagement and real-world activism, offering valuable implications for researchers, policymakers, and advocacy groups.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Joy Samuel Dhanraj. G, Dyaaneshwar S
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