Media Consumption vs. Interpersonal Communication Agents: Formation of National Identity

ABSTRACT
Media and interpersonal agents form a person’s sense of belonging to a country. Previous research has confirmed that this formation is influenced by different factors, which might vary depending on how often a person uses media and how much interacts with others. Media and interpersonal agents form National Identity (NI) in different manners and to varied extent. The present study has proposed the model of the comparative degree of the influences of media and interpersonal agents on National Identity Formation (NIF) in Pakistan. The technique of PLS-SEM was applied to test the appropriateness of the model. The findings of the current study show that young people’s national identities are influenced by their consumption of print, electronic, and other media, as well as by demographic factors like class, age, school, examination board, fees, father’s education, mother’s education, and mother’s profession, as well as by interpersonal factors like parents who share similar tastes, conversations with peers, conversations with relatives, and interactions with relatives.