Abstract
In contemporary democracies, the pervasive adoption of digital platforms has significantly transformed civic engagement, political communication, and social cohesion. This study investigates the influence of social media consumption on political polarization among young adults within the Philippine sociopolitical landscape—a context characterized by high digital penetration and intense political contestation. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, quantitative data were gathered from 420 university students and young professionals aged 18 to 29 across urban and peri-urban centers, followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews with 24 selected participants. Quantitative findings reveal a statistically significant positive relationship between intensive platform engagement (particularly on algorithmic video and feed-based platforms such as TikTok and Facebook) and affective polarization, operationalized through partisan feeling thermometers and social distance measures. Qualitative thematic analysis contextualizes these findings, elucidating mechanisms such as algorithmic filter bubbles, emotionalized moral outrage, and the fear of social sanction leading to relational severance among peers and kin. The study underscores how algorithmic affordances intersect with pre-existing sociocultural fault lines, driving affective tribalism rather than substantive ideological debate. These insights provide critical implications for higher education curriculum design, digital literacy initiatives, and youth-centered civic intervention strategies aimed at mitigating democratic erosion in developing nations.
