Effects of Social Media Use on Animal Welfare in Pakistan
This quantitative study explored the effects of social media use and exposure on public attitudes and perceived knowledge about animal welfare in Pakistan. It investigated two hypotheses based on the uses and gratifications theory and the social learning theory. The first hypothesis explored the correlation between exposure to animal welfare content on social media and public attitudes towards animal welfare; whereas the second hypothesis explored correlation between Social media usage patterns and perceived knowledge about animal welfare. A study was administered to 300 university students in Islamabad to analyze their social media usage patterns, exposure to animal welfare information, attitudes, and perceived knowledge. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, correlation, and ANOVA. The study demonstrated a significant correlation between social media exposure to animal welfare content and positive public attitudes towards animal welfare. There was a statistically significant difference in perceived knowledge among social media usage groups, with heavy users reporting higher levels of knowledge. The overall social media engagement was moderately high; however, the exposure to animal welfare content was comparatively lower. Animal welfare attitudes were most influenced by religious beliefs, cultural practices, education, and personal experience. The study proposes modifying animal welfare messaging on online platforms according to Pakistan's cultural context. More research into the relationship between social media, religion, education, and cultural norms is required to establish positive human-animal associations.