Beyond Clicks: Examining the Role of Collective Political Efficacy in Linking Social Media Engagement to Youth Political Mobilization

Abstract

The increasing use of social media has transformed how young people access political information, communicate, and participate in democratic processes. Despite growing evidence that social media facilitates political engagement, existing studies present inconsistent findings regarding its ability to translate online participation into sustained offline political mobilization. Most previous research has focused on the direct relationship between social media use and political participation, while the psychological mechanism explaining how digital engagement evolves into collective political action remains underexplored. Therefore, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework that explains the mediating role of collective political efficacy in the relationship between social media engagement and youth political mobilization. This study adopts a qualitative narrative review methodology by synthesizing peer-reviewed literature retrieved from the Scopus database. The reviewed studies were analysed using an integrative thematic analysis approach to identify recurring concepts, theoretical perspectives, and empirical patterns concerning social media engagement, collective political efficacy, and youth political mobilization. The review indicates that while social media serves as an important platform for political communication, civic learning, and network formation, its influence on youth political mobilization is strengthened when digital engagement enhances young people's shared belief in their collective ability to influence political outcomes. Consequently, collective political efficacy emerges as a key psychological mechanism linking online engagement with collective political action. The study contributes to the literature by integrating Social Cognitive Theory, Connective Action Theory, and Mobilization Theory into a unified conceptual framework that advances understanding of youth political behaviour in digital environments. Practically, the proposed framework provides guidance for policymakers, electoral management bodies, civil society organizations, and youth organizations in designing digital engagement strategies.