The Role of Social Media in Motivating Young People to Political Engagement – The Influence of Algorithms and Preferred Platforms

This bachelor thesis explores the impact of social media on the political engagement of young people aged 18–29 in the Czech Republic. The main goal was to examine how algorithms and preferred platforms influence the formation of political opinions, access to information, and willingness to participate in civic life. The theoretical part analyzes the role of social networks in political socialization, outlines various forms of participation, and describes the functions of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube in political communication. The empirical section is based on a survey of 168 respondents and investigates their exposure to political content on social media. The findings indicate that young people encounter political content even passively, and that algorithmic recommendations can significantly shape their opinions. Social media thus serves as both a tool for mobilization and engagement and a potential source of misinformation and polarization.