This empirical review examines the complex relationship between social media and political polarization, drawing on diverse methodological approaches including surveys, big data analytics, experiments, and content analysis. While social media has expanded access to political information and enhanced public participation, it also exacerbates polarization by fostering echo chambers, amplifying disinformation, and encouraging ideological extremism. Survey research reveals strong correlations between social media usage and increased ideological rigidity, affective polarization, and political intolerance. Big data studies uncover behavioral patterns of ideological clustering and selective exposure through advanced techniques such as sentiment analysis and network analysis. Experimental designs provide causal evidence that exposure to opposing views online often reinforces, rather than moderates, pre-existing beliefs. Content analysis highlights the widespread dissemination of fake news and polarizing narratives that distort public understanding and contribute to political incivility. Taken together, these findings suggest that social media platforms function not merely as neutral communication tools but as influential actors in shaping political attitudes and intensifying divisions. To address these challenges, the study recommends enhancing algorithmic transparency, embedding independent fact-checking mechanisms, promoting diverse viewpoints, integrating digital literacy into civic education, and establishing regulatory frameworks that monitor online political content without infringing on free speech. These coordinated interventions are essential for mitigating the polarizing effects of social media and safeguarding democratic discourse in both developed and developing societies.