Use Of Social Technology In Heightening The Cognitive And Social Well-Being Of Young Citizens:Room For Regulations In The Context Of Pakistan

In view of the widespread popularity of social media,social networking sites are essential to understand and adopt,exploring numerous opportunities for social learning.The proliferation and adoption of emerging social technologies imply that people are becoming free and flexible to engage in social networking sites without any restriction of time and place.Young people in a networked society are now more exposed to different technological developments,which provide them with unique opportunities for open interactions,knowledge,and self-discovery.The current research study aims at exploring how the rich capability of social media use for literacy and socialization leads to social capital,information capital,and civic engagement,resulting into greater cognitive and social well-being of young individuals.In this regard,the social cognitive theory has been applied as the foundation of the model,in combination with an institutional theory based on moderating factors.The moderating influence of significant institutional factors(regulatory and cognitive)was specifically investigated for civic engagement in the current research model,drawing from the relevant extant regulatory and cognitive environment literature,and institutional theory.By studying the complete process from adoption and seeking value,the current study demonstrates the level of public discourse on the positive use of social media networks for citizen’s well-being in the context of emerging countries.The researcher chose the constructs of social capital,informational hub and civic participation as principal representatives of a healthy society in the domain of public affairs.A mixed survey method was conducted among social networking sites’ users in Pakistan to test the research model.The study obtained 456 responses from the users of well-known Social Networking Sites(SNS)in Pakistan.Using Structural Equation Modeling(SEM)technique,analysis of research model accorded an examination of the chosen constructs through the two-step procedure establishing the estimates for both the measurement model and structural model.Furthermore,for moderation analysis,the "Process" procedures moderation method was used using SPSS 20 by Andrew F.Hayes.It was found that social media usage for literacy and socialization promoted three potential opportunities in terms of social capital,civic engagement,and information capital.Overall,this study concludes that social media tools as an interactive and productive mechanism can progressively enhance the level of youth participation in public affairs for overall cognitive and social well-being.The results of the study supported the hypotheses regarding the relationships and roles on cognitive and social well-being.However,social capital was found to have a positive but non-significant relationship with social well-being.For moderation analysis,it was found that the regulatory environment has a dampening effect on the positive relationship between civic engagement and social well-being in the context of Pakistan.While the cognitive environment was found as moderated(increases)the positive association between civic engagement and cognitive well-being.Findings of this research study provide some significant theoretical and practical implications.The active participation of the young population in constructive discussion forums and societal issues is a core formation for their individual and as well as collective well-being to perceive society as a positive and productive place.The current research study also covers another research gap by focusing on the positive sense of involvement that is more satisfied in the presence of an appropriate fit between individuals’ social needs and online social technology.This study takes a nomological approach and is one of the first to examine this theoretical framework by considering the social facets of Pakistan.The findings of this research study also contribute to a better understanding of developments at the local level and can facilitate policy makers and the government to concentrate on the issues and problems facing by communities.