Social Media Effects On Politics

1508 Words7 Pages
Social Media and Its Effects On Politics Deemah AlSabah Gulf University For Science and Technology Social Media Social Media and Its Effects on Politics The media is the central platform through which the political behavior of the citizenry aspect is reshaped. The development of such an ideology is generated from the many instances where politicians use the social media to influence the political behavior of citizens. Social media is used in many ways and for many reasons. Some people use social media for advertising, some use it to socialize and connect with others, some use it for studies and statistics (through surveys and polis), and others use it to politic related issues. Importantly the media is an essential party…show more content…
Thus, it has been used to challenge the various issues communicated on televisions and media print. For the politicians, the social media is the ultimate option to defending their position on various matters. For example, President Donald Trump challenged his position on various issues through his Twitter accounts. For Donald Trump, it was about defending his position on allegations and setting the facts sheet straight. Such kinds of political strategies have been made effective given the fact that the world leaders are given an opportunity to speak to their people through online forums (Wihbey, 2015). Although world leaders and politicians can direct their people through speeches, using social media is more direct and sincere. Importantly, social media has helped build the image of the political figures by sending vital information to online groups. Thus, the popularity of given candidates may go viral given the attribution to online platforms. Notably, the networked digital connectivity in the recent years has enhanced politician’s ability to grasp the public’s attention and time in many ways (Wolfsfeld, Segev & Sheafer, 2013). For instance, President Barack Obama Campaigns in the year 2008 were significantly achieved given the fact that the social media played a greater role. The same was also witnessed in the Arab springs of the year 2011 where the world…show more content…
In many ways, the social media has been cited as a substantial area of communication between the political leaders and the citizens. Importantly, social media has been the center stage for developing strategist to approaching various campaign programs. However, social media has been detrimental in the political arena for many years. For instance, social media has been a leading tool for polarization during the election campaigns. A good example of such claims is the case with the just concluded American elections. The newly elected President Donald Trump used social media to challenge Hilary Clinton’s position on the health care reform programs. As a result, he dispelled information to the public that was sensitive in nature. Subsequently, other instances of the presidential race proved that social media could be used by politicians to damage the reputation of other presidential candidates. Another detrimental effect of the use of social media in the political atmosphere is that it is used by minority groups to establish political gridlocks. The again, the use of social media is expensive given the costs to maintain and share vital information on political aspirations. In this view, it remains to be the leading platform for social segregation and discrimination have given that an only a specified number of people can use the online

More about Social Media Effects On Politics

Open Document