This study aimed to examine the impact of social media platform algorithms on shaping political discourse among Palestinian youth, with a particular focus on their role in enhancing political polarization and constructing the “digital political enemy.” The study adopted the descriptive-analytical approach and used a questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 340 students at An-Najah National University. The findings showed that students’ level of awareness of how social media platform algorithms work was moderate, with an overall mean of (3.21). Students’ perceptions of the areas in which algorithms influence the promotion or marginalization of content were high, with a mean of (3.85). The perceived impact of algorithms on students’ behavior and interaction with political content was moderate, with a mean of (2.95). The level of algorithms’ contribution to shaping political polarization was also moderate, with a mean of (3.00). In addition, the results revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between the impact of algorithms on students’ patterns of social media use and their level of political polarization, with a correlation coefficient of (0.496). The study concluded that social media platform algorithms play an influential role in shaping exposure to political content and directing users’ interaction with it, thereby contributing to the reinforcement of certain aspects of political polarization within the Palestinian digital environment.

Conference Title

An-Najah 1st Conference for Artificial Intelligence Applications

Conference Country

Palestine

Conference Date

Oct. 18, 2026 - Oct. 18, 2026

Conference Sponsor

Self-sponsor

Additional Info

Conference Website