Gender, Technology, and Digital Sociality: An Empirical Analysis of Social Media Practices, Trust Relations, and Feminist Reflections among Students in Pakistan

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between social media practices, gendered technology, trust relations, and feminist reflections among higher education students in Punjab, Pakistan. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed at a public-sector university. The study population comprised male and female students enrolled in BS programs across economics, education, history and Pakistan studies, political science and international relations, psychology, and sociology. Using Yamane (1967) formula, a sample of 397 students from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th semesters were selected through proportionate random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising measures of social media practices, gendered technology, trust relations, and feminist reflections. A pilot study with 25 students demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from .708 to .867 and an overall reliability of .911. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were employed for data analysis. The findings indicate that feminist reflections are associated with students’ content engagement, social networking, content sharing, social interaction, gendered norms, narratives, representations, impacts, individual rights and opportunities, social structures, social media practices, gendered technology, and trust relations. The study highlights digital platforms as important social spaces for negotiating gender-related ideas and experiences in higher education.