As students increasingly encounter political news, opinions and campaign messaging on social media, colleges face a growing need to promote critical media literacy alongside academic education.

The idea is not to tell students what political views to adopt, but to help them understand how information can shape their perceptions before they make electoral decisions.

The concept can be linked to the OODA loop—Observe, Orient, Decide and Act—developed by American military strategist John Boyd. The framework highlights how people interpret what they observe through their existing experiences, beliefs, assumptions and knowledge before reaching a decision.

Applied to social media, the process becomes particularly relevant because students may encounter political content through personalised feeds, short videos, posts, influencers and online discussions. Understanding how such information is presented can help students pause before accepting or sharing it.

Higher education institutions can support this process by encouraging students to check sources, distinguish facts from opinions, recognise persuasive techniques and compare information across multiple credible sources.

The University Grants Commission has previously listed media ethics and social media-related issues among areas covered in journalism education, while its higher education framework also includes initiatives related to human values and professional ethics.

With student elections and wider democratic participation involving young voters, the emphasis can remain on developing independent judgement rather than directing political choices. The objective is to help students understand how political influence works, while leaving what to believe and how to vote to them.