Social Media and Democracy

Social Media and Democracy 1
Social Media and Democracy
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Social Media and Democracy 2
Introduction
According to Castells (2011), social media refers to a collection of online communications
channels which serves various purposes like, getting a community’s input, content sharing,
interactions, and collaboration. This kind of networking is aided by websites and application that
enable the creation and sharing of content efficiently and in time. Social media is the fastest
means of c communication used today. Due to is efficiency in terms of timesaving, reliability
and its ability to connect to the people globally it has gained significant interest to all groups of
people both young and the old hence becoming the most used form of communication of the 19th
century (Ceron and Memoli, 2016). Examples of applications used for social networking are,
Facebook, twitter, google+, Wikis, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and many more. Social media is used in a
wide range from, blogging, social networking, and businesses to matters politics and democracy,
among others. In the contemporary days, we are living in social media is becoming the true
reflection of freedom in the sense that it gives people the autonomy to express themselves and
provide an opinion on various matters without fear or compromise (McChesney, 2015). It is the
most used platform in elections and campaigns to amass multitudes bring people together
through the creation of social media groups and sharing of vital information concerning the
candidate in question in the public domains where many people can assess them.
With the increased use of social media it has been used for both right and wrong purposes,
especially due to its free user nature. While some people think it is not suitable for democracy,
its benefits are numerous, and I believe if used well social media is the best platform to bring
about the change we so desire in our communities. Therefore, social media is good for
democracy.

Social Media and Democracy 3
Is social media good or bad for democracy?
Social media is a good source of information. In the dynamic world, we are living in today social
media is becoming a significant source of news as youths have resorted to platforms like
Facebook for news (Fuchs, 2017). Due to its participatory nature, most media houses post their
story in platforms like Facebook as it gives an overview of people’s opinion. The kind of news
shared in the social media platforms include the issues of democracy including matters of
controversy in the governments, achievements of a government and its failures and any news as
it pertains any country’s government. The use of social media is among the ways people make
their cry to be heard by those in governance position (Tucker et al 2017). Social media like
Facebook provides a platform for all including the minority, the poor, and those excluded by the
media to be heard, therefore encouraging democracy, which means the rule of the people by the
people. The voice of the mass is powerful, and when people come together to push for a matter,
it moves the responsible people into action.
Through social media, essential issues and voices are amplified. The views can either be from
influential people in a country/government or peoples voice. Unlike the tradition media, today’s
media gives the readers a chance to respond and give their point of view on matters of
democracy.The tradition media includes information on magazines written by editors while the
current media uses social media platform where everyone has an equal chance to give their
opinion. In today’s era, however, social media has set a platform where people become co-
authors and can amplify the editors and newsmakers opinion through posting their point of view.
Social media, especially Facebook, has been used to amplify issues of importance in
communities through the creation of videos which go viral to reach the targeted people for