The Relationship Between University Students' Use of Social Networks and Their Political Knowledge and Activity.

Background: In today's high‐tech society, the relationship between social networks and the formation of political orientation and socio‐political activity within the student environment has become a key subject of research. Objectives: The aim of this article is to investigate the correlations between the influence of various social media platforms, the level of political orientation and the degree of socio‐political engagement among university students. Methods: A cross‐sectional design was employed to understand the influence of social networks on political orientation and socio‐political activity and socio‐political activity. Political orientation and socio‐political activity tests were applied to provide objective data for further analysis. The research findings indicate an equally positive correlation between Facebook and Instagram with students' levels of political orientation and socio‐political activity, whereas a weaker correlation was observed with TikTok. Results and Conclusions: Prospects for future research may include a more profound analysis of the relationships between types of content and political orientation and socio‐political activity, as well as the study of the dynamics of changes in the influence of social networks at different stages of education and personality development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]