Social Media Influence Towards Understanding, Awareness and Perception on Royal Institutions: Empirical Study on Young Millennials

Abstract

Social media currently plays a major role in the lives of young millennials (Gen Z) who primarily use technology to communicate, express their opinions and gather information. From one angle, social media usage brings significant benefits; the failure to use it wisely can lead to negative impacts. In the context of the Royal Institution, the liberty to use social media to express personal and public sentiments has led many youths to disregard protocol and to hurl insults to the Rulers. On the other hand, positive social media usage in this context can boost favourable perceptions of the Royal Institution. Hence, this study aims to examine how the level of understanding and awareness about our Royal Institution amongst young millennials can significantly influence their perceptions about the institution as reflected via social media. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using structured questionnaires distributed to 393 respondents comprising youths born after 1994 to fulfil the research criteria of young millennials (Gen Z). The partial least squares method was adopted for data analysis. It is confirmed that the hypothesis on the significant influence of understanding and awareness gathered from social media has reflected young millennials’ perception of our Royal Institutions. The findings are significantly important to facilitate the government in formulating policies or guidelines towards establishing positive social media usage that can nurture general respect for the Royal Institution and ultimately a harmonious social relationship between the people and the institution.