In today’s digital era, social media has become a pivotal player in shaping politics. From grassroots movements to presidential campaigns, platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are revolutionizing how politics is conducted and perceived. In today’s news story, we will discuss the dual nature of social media’s influence on politics and highlight both sides in a critical way.
Positive Impact of Social Media
One of the most notable impacts that we found of social media on politics is its ability to spread at the gross root level or amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard by mainstream media. Activists and ordinary citizens alike have leveraged these platforms to organize movements and share critical information. In the past, you can find some key examples, e.g., the Arab Spring and the Black Lives Matter movement, both of which not only gained significant importance but also global support through social media. The most recent example is the Indian election, where some social media influencers affected the election through their YouTube platforms, and Narindra Modi could not get an absolute majority even with her claim before the election.
Furthermore, social media is considered a direct interaction channel, and politicians are increasingly using social media to communicate directly with their voters through social media channels without getting a sensor. This direct engagement allows them to be more personal and close to their voters without any trouble. Campaigns now employ sophisticated social media strategies, which means you can utilize social media data to find your position and your political impact through rallies and gatherings.
Social media also serves as a real-time source of public opinion, as it allows politicians and policymakers to quickly understand public sentiment. Trends, hashtags, and viral posts can reflect the collective mood on various issues. Even you, as a common man, can create your own trends on social media, e.g., Twitter/X, where many trends get high popularity and clearly show public opinion in real-time. This means you, as an individual who doesn’t have any sense in the mainstream media, can have the capacity to influence politics by creating trends on social media.
Social media has a great reach for everyone. That’s to say, if you belong to one nation but are not physically there and want to participate in your country’s politics and elections, you can continue this by sitting anywhere in the world because your voice can be heard by your country at a grassroots level through your social media channel.
Social media also helps politicians and activists raise funds for their campaigns at the grassroots level, where you, as an individual, can donate your little ones easily, even if you are in any part of the world. Many political parties are willing to collect funds through social media, where you are not just allowed to interact with your leaders but also contribute your part if needed.
The last but not least, social media shares news without getting a sensor, which means you can share your actual view without getting a sensor. While if you say something that is not in the favor of someone or some party that is in power, they can easily sense this news or stance by controlling the mainstream media.
The Negative Side of Social Media
Social media has some downsides, too. The way these platforms work often creates “echo chambers,” where people mostly see content that matches their own views. This happens because algorithms are designed to show users things they will likely agree with to keep them engaged. As a result, people rarely see opposing viewpoints, which can lead to increased political division. This makes it harder for everyone to agree on important issues.
Just express yourself while using social media. If you like and are involved in a certain group or party, you will mostly receive posts and videos of that party that you like most. If, by some means, you see a view that is against your party or leader, you will not watch this. So this means social media algorithms work in a way that you like, rather than showing you a mix of both sides of a post and video.
Another critical issue is misinformation or fake news through social media. False information can spread like wildfire without any cross-checking. You cannot just believe that every piece of information that you see on social media is true and accurate. There are many examples where it has been found that the political process is affected by fake news as well.
So the point here is to prove that there are both positive and negative sides to social media. However, it would be said that social media is probably a channel where everyone can be involved and engage in the political process without having an influential background, especially those who don’t get to the mainstream but have the integrity to share their valuable insight and information. Furthermore, in the future, we can assume that there will be more involvement of social media in the political process around the world.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is based on available data and sources. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of all parties involved.
