Political Persuasion Through Social Media

In contemporary society, social media has emerged as the predominant platform for the dissemination of political information, with a primary goal of influencing user perspectives. Despite its prevalence, scant research has scrutinized the cognitive mechanisms underlying the reception of political messages via social media and their consequent impact on attitude transformation. This study endeavors to investigate the nexus between political information consumption on social media and the efficacy of political persuasion, while also probing the roles of political interest and cognitive elaboration in this persuasive process. Employing a survey methodology distributed through social media networks, the study amassed responses from 470 participants residing in Jakarta and its environs. Findings elucidate the discernible influence of social media usage for political information consumption and cognitive elaboration on the dynamics of political persuasion, whereas political interest exhibited negligible impact. Consequently, this study underscores the potential for political information purveyors to leverage social media platforms to foster cognitive engagement among users, thereby enhancing receptivity to political messaging.