Missing the Social Media in Digital Age: A Case Study of Users at the Time of Social Media Blackout in Pakistan

Abstract

There is a growing concern of internet blackouts caused by political unrest in Pakistan and this necessitates research to examine how user gets impacted in this regard. This research delves deeper into user behavior during countrywide internet blackout on 9^th May 2023, emphasizing the alternate ways through which they fulfilled their related needs and the missed opportunities. This quantitative study employs a survey questionnaire to collect primary data regarding social media usage of Pakistani users along with the needs fulfilled by the users through social media. The population of the study comprised of social media users in the public sector universities of Islamabad Capital Territory. The survey results provide valuable insights into the extent of social media usage, preferences, needs getting fulfilled by social media, and behaviors of a sample of 500 students regarding social media outage. It highlights the predominance of younger individuals, active and frequent engagement with social media, and diverse purposes for usage. The findings of this research are in alignment with the Uses and Gratification Theory, emphasizing active audience selection and diverse media uses