PhD Oral Exam - Muhammad Akram, Education

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

Social media have emerged as a potent instrument for disseminating religiopolitical disinformation, inciting violent radicalism and extremism among youth. Young individuals are spending considerable time online, rendering them increasingly susceptible to radical propaganda aimed at political mobilization. This risk is heightened in societies with fragile political systems, where mainstream media lack credibility, and social media serves as the principal news source. This dissertation investigates the role of religiopolitical narratives on platforms such as Facebook in propagating violent radicalism among Pakistani youth and analyze how critical social media literacy (CSML) can mitigate or counteract online radical narratives.

This dissertation employs a manuscript-based approach with three interrelated sub-studies. The first sub-study systematically reviews how social media drives extremist discourse in Pakistan, setting the study’s context. The second sub-study examines CSML as a tool to counter radical propaganda, identifying key skills for prevention. Both systematic reviews use the PRISMA framework with peer-reviewed articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases. Finally, the third sub-study undertakes a critical ethnographic analysis in relation to the Pakistani youth’s perceptions and lived experiences about online discourses of radicalism and extremism. In-depth interviews were conducted with university students from diverse regions in Pakistan. Together, these studies use a thematic analysis approach and offer a comprehensive look at social media’s role in radicalism and how CSML can help combat it.

The sub-study 1 reveals that scholarship on social media’s role in violent extremism in Pakistan generally focuses on individual factors behind violent extremism, overlooking situational or political influences. The sub-study 2 highlights two key insights: Limited scholarship connects CSML to radicalism or extremism, yet CSML emerges as a promising educational countermeasure to prevent toxic narratives on social media. Youth equipped with CSML are better positioned to safely navigate social media amid political disinformation. Ethnographic findings from sub-study 3 identify political interest groups and the military elite as major players who propagate radical religiopolitical narratives on Facebook, manipulating young users’ perceptions, electioneering, and political power. Such misuse of Facebook has fueled political violence, sectarianism, blasphemy cases, and distrust in institutions. Sub-study 3 also contextualizes how CSML could be a counter to prevent violent radicalism among Pakistani youth and mitigate the misuse of platforms like Facebook.

Overall, this dissertation argues that the political use and misuse of social media, particularly the widely popular Facebook, has complicated the already complex dynamics of radicalism and violent extremism in Pakistan. While these issues predate social media (e.g., anti-India and pro-Afghan jihad narratives), platforms like Facebook have amplified their reach and impact. The study shows how young people, often unwillingly, engage with competing radical narratives online, shaping their political ideologies, and sometimes justifying political violence. To address this, the study advocates for equipping Pakistani youth with CSML skills, enabling them to navigate social media safely and critically amidst the surge of radical religiopolitical narratives competing for attention.