Digital Media's Impact on Political Communication: Empirical Examples

This essay delves into the significant ways digital media has reshaped political communication, highlighting its influence on how politicians connect with citizens and how information spreads. It examines the increasing use of digital platforms, like social media, and how they have impacted political campaigns, transparency, and the spread of information. The essay discusses both the positive aspects, such as increased accessibility and direct communication, and the negative impacts, including the spread of misinformation and the use of digital tools for negative campaigning, using examples like the 2016 US election and the Brexit campaign. It emphasizes the need for digital media platforms to address the spread of fake news and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of data in political communication. The essay explores how digital media is reshaping political communication, but also the challenges and ethical concerns that arise from its use.

In what ways if at all have digital
media reshaped political
communication Discuss with
reference to two or three empirical
examples from existing res

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
Ways in which Digital media has reshaped the political communication with the examples 3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REREFENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
This essay simply helps in stating relationship between digital media and political
communication. Digital media today has transformed the way in which information or messages
are travelled between citizens or politicians or people those who are trying to shape policy.
Today digital medial has become of the main source because of which information or data is
spread that helps in influencing politics and policy makers, news media and citizens of a country.
As Alperin and et. al., (2018), has explained that digital media has completely changed the way
in which politicians or political groups conduct their election campaigns, deliver information and
remain in touch with the citizens. It can be said that digital media has influenced the process of
political communication and the ways in which digital medial is used by politicians as a means
of communication as with the help of digital medial they can affect political chances within a
region.
This essay in general argues that easy accessibility of digital media among people is influencing
the way in which political communication take place. In further this essay also argues that there
are various kinds of ways in which availability of digital medial in all the people have
completely reshaped the manner in which political communication among citizens or politicians
take place. This essay also points out that as accessibility of digital media is increasing the
manner in which information or data exchange between politicians, voters or other citizens is
done is getting reshaped in both positive and negative manner.
MAIN BODY
Ways in which Digital media has reshaped the political communication with the examples
Digital media is one of the most common tool which is being used by most of the people
today which has become one of the main reason that has reshaped political communication
(Alperin and et. al., 2018). Digital medial has increased transparency and clarity among citizens
and politicians because of which it has become important for politician to reshape or bring
changes within their way of communication. Bennett and Pfetsch., (2018) summarizes that
Political communication is a subfield of political science and communication who’s major focus
is information exchange, spreading or influence that policy makers and politics have upon
citizens. This increasing usage of digital media has made it is a necessary requirement for the
politician to bring changes within their strategy so that influence of their political decisions upon
citizens can be maintained.

Early research in this field have helped in explaining that there are many ways that can
reshape political communication. This is supported by Bennett and Pfetsch, (2018) and explains
that some of the most common ways with the help of political communication or influence of
politicians politics upon citizens can be reshared by intensified competitive pressure, increasing
use of digital media, changes in ways in which people or citizens receive politics. Out of all of
these ways increasing use of digital media is one of the main factors that can reshape political
communication.
According to the view of Mason, (2019) in today’s modern world digital media and
politics have become two inseparable things because of which barriers in free flow of education
are getting eliminated slowly between political decision makers and people who get benefited
from this. This is supported by Kelm, Dohle and Bernhard, (2017) as he explains that, many
countries are focusing upon fitting digital media in the area of political communication because
of which changes within political communication is increasing and it is getting reshaped slowly.
Previous research explains that political communication is completely based upon secrecy and
lack of transparency but due to increasing access to digital medial transparency is increasing and
secrecy is reducing. This has forced the policy decision makers or politicians to reshape their
political communication so that its positive impact upon people or citizens can be increased.
Digital media has huge impact to reshape the political communication because this
provide the benefits to the political parties, and they use to send their message to the particular
community which impact on their mind, and they community can know about the things which
their political parties are doing for the public. This has been supported by Kenski and Jamieson,
eds., (2017) as he explains that many political parties are starting to use digital media for
developing communication with the people and to deliver the message to the society of what
they can do for society if they will won the election and if they will rule the country. But the
digital media tools can be used for the positive and negative both purpose by the political parties.
It can be beneficial for the politician to communicate with the people if they use the tools
properly like they can show their achievements to the society and communicate with the people
about the development of the country and how they can to boost the economy of the country.
This is an good use of the digital media. It has further been explained by De Vreese And et.al.,
(2018) as he explains that many politicians uses digital media for negative purposes like

exposing or putting dirt upon other politicians for their profit is a negative purpose because of
which digital media is used as a tool by political parties.
Digital media provides all the details and facto about the information that politicians want
to communicate with people because of which their chances of lying to the people or influencing
people reduces. If they do not focus upon this then digital media can be lay negative impact upon
politicians and people. The news channels ask politicians a question regard to the society and
development of the country and enterprise. Flanagin and Metzger., (2017) further explains that,
Digital media become the voice of the political communication which provide the every news
which are related to the politics of the country and how their political parties are working for
their development and their better. As per the message people get they can decide their political
party and they can show the politician their support. Political parties used to run their campaign
on the social media and other digital media platform, so they can connect with the people and
gain the opportunities to win the election. In their political campaign they show they why they
should choose the party who are running the campaign. In this they show their achievement
and show the development through their party which affect on their voters, and they also gain
the new voters who can support them. people can find the best candidate form them who can
take their national to the next level and make their countries ergonomic condition better.
According to the (Kelm, Dohle and Bernhard., 2017) recent years, social media are said
to have an impact on the public discourse and communication in the society. In particular, social
media are increasingly used in political context. Recent research explains that more recently,
micro blogging services (e.g., Twitter) and social network sites (e.g., Facebook) are believed to
have the potential for increasing political participation. While Twitter is an ideal platform for
users to spread not only information in general but also political opinions publicly through their
networks, political institutions (e.g., politicians, political parties, political foundations, etc.) have
also begun to use Facebook pages orgroups for the purpose of entering into direct dialog with
citizens and encouraging more political discussions. Previous studies have shown that from the
perspective of political institutions, there is an emerging need to continuously collect, monitor,
analyze, summarize, and visualize politically relevant information from social media. These
activities, which are subsumed under ‘‘social media analytic,’’ are considered difficult tasks due
to a large numbers of different social media platforms as well as the large amount and
complexity of information and data.

Nowadays political parties are using the digital marketing tools for the negative
campaign to win the election (Kenski and Jamieson., 2017). We have lot's of real life example
and one of the most controversial election was the 2016 US elections. The US company
Cambridge Analytica who become the reason behind the wining of the election by the trump.
This company misuse the data of the 50 million people to run their campaign. They were using
the personal data of the users which is an illegal act6vty because the Facebook platform does
not allow any of the company to use the personal data of the users. They use the data to show
the campaign of the Trump and show people why they should vote the people, and they also run
the negative campaign of the opponent party. They hack the personal data of the 50 million
people by using the application which was developed by the Kogen and this app still the data
of the Facebook users and many people use this application because they were getting money
from this application by sign up on the account. This application provide them the data of 50
million people, and they were able to run their campaign to those people and this advertisement
convert the people to vote for the Trump and make him Win the election. When for the US
election 2016 everyone was shocked when trump won the election then was shocking for the
every citizen in the United states and after the one year passed. The secret police get the
evidence, and they came to know about this scandal which shows that the they were using the
personal data of the people and it was crime.
This was an example of the negative use of the digital media platforms for the
political communication (McNair., 2017). This channels have the power to change the mind of
the people and it has huge impact o their mind. Now a many political parties are using the
digital media channels for the negative purpose so and spreading the fake new on the digital
media platform like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook etc, so they can win the elections in their
country. This is important for those digital media to make prove futures strong, and they
should take t6he actions on the fake news who are spreading the wrong communication
message to the people. This can be big problem for the society if the digital media does not
strop this negative news an campaign by the political parties to communicate with the social.
This creates negative impact o the mind of the social, and they do what they used to see in
those digital Media.
One many examples of the digital media impact on the political communication the
Brexit memorandum where the leave group politicians run the propaganda to convenience

people to support the Brexit, and they started spreading the fake new on the social media. They
use the fake news and other sources and show the other politician who are not supporting the
Brexit are doing wrong this which affect the mind of the people and many of the people
convince to support the Brexit (Singer., 2018). The leave group use the social media or the
Digital media to communicate with the people and make them agree with their thought
which result this act take place and become the reason for the European union exit the Britain.
This affect the many business, and they have to support many losses. Their are many business
which effect the Brexit and they have to shout down their business because they weer not able
to earn the profitability in t heir business, and they were suffering from the big losses which
force them to close their business.
This examples shows that the digital media has reshaped the political communication
but now people political parties are using the Digital media to their befits and spreading the
fake news on the digital media platform which is make the people believe on the wrong new,
vetoes. This show it can have the huge impact on the society which can lead them toward the
negative impact o their lifestyle and it can also create the negative impact on the relations of
the people.
CONCLUSION
As per the essay has been argues that there are various kinds of ways in which
availability of digital medial in all the people have completely reshaped the manner in which
political communication among citizens or politicians take place. In the above essay it has been
clearly explained that accessibility of digital media is increasing the manner in which
information or data exchange between politicians, voters or other citizens is done is getting
reshaped in both positive and negative manner.

REREFENCES
Books and Journals
Alperin, J.P., and et. al., 2018. Politicians & the public: The analysis of political communication
in social media. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and
Technology. 55(1). pp.646-649.
Bennett, W. L. and Pfetsch, B., 2018. Rethinking political communication in a time of disrupted
public spheres. Journal of Communication.68(2). pp.243-253.
De Vreese, C. H. And et.al., 2018. Populism as an expression of political communication content
and style: A new perspective. The International Journal of Press/Politics.23(4). pp.423-
438.\
Flanagin, A. and Metzger, M. J., 2017. Digital media and perceptions of source credibility in
political communication. The Oxford handbook of political communication.417.
Kelm, O., Dohle, M. and Bernhard, U., 2017. Social media activities of political communication
practitioners: The impact of strategic orientation and in-group orientation. International
Journal of Strategic Communication.11(4). pp.306-323.
Kenski, K. and Jamieson, K. H. eds., 2017. The Oxford handbook of political communication.
Oxford University Press.
Mason, L.E., 2019. Dewey and Political Communication in the Age of Mediation. Journal of
Culture and Values in Education. 2(3). pp.94-102.
McNair, B., 2017. An introduction to political communication. Taylor & Francis.
Singer, J. B., 2018. Transmission creep: Media effects theories and journalism studies in a digital
era. Journalism Studies.19(2). pp.209-226.
Stier, S., Bleier, A., Lietz, H. and Strohmaier, M., 2018. Election campaigning on social media:
Politicians, audiences, and the mediation of political communication on Facebook and
Twitter. Political communication.35(1). pp.50-74.