Immigration activists staged a sit-in
in Senator Michael Bennet’s office
(D-CO) to demand that he act in favor
of DREAM legislation. They broadcast
the sit-in on Facebook Live to raise
awareness of their protest. Social
media can be used as a tool for citizens
to effect positive political change, but
it also has its downsides.Social media has transformed virtually all aspects of our everyday lives, including
the ways we engage with politics. Many hoped that social media would increase
citizens’ ability to shape government policies in line with their interests, including
business analyst Brian Solis, who touts social media’s powers of “democratization.”^1
At one level, Solis is right on the mark: the rise of social media has radically
increased the amount of information available to the average citizen. For example,
social media makes it easier to research colleges and identify the one that best fits
your needs and constraints, particularly by talking directly with people who have
firsthand knowledge of different options. Social media does the same in politics: you
can use it to find more information in any number of ways, from identifying candidates
who share your views to learning about the details of policy proposals. Solis’s and
others’ grand expectations for social media assume that people want to be well
informed and are willing to invest time and effort to seek out multiple information
sources and weigh differing viewpoints to arrive at detailed judgments about the
merits of different candidates and the policies they espouse.
At the same time, there is little evidence that the rise of social media and other
changes in media coverage of politics have produced a better-informed or more
politically active citizenry. As Samidh Chakrabarti of Facebook acknowledges, along“Social media [will] spark a revelation that we, the people, have a voice, and
through the democratization of content and ideas we can once again unite
around common passions, inspire movements, and ignite change.”
Brian Solis, business analyst“If there’s one fundamental truth about social media’s impact on democracy
it’s that it amplifies human intent—both good and bad. At its best, it allows
us to express ourselves and take action. At its worst, it allows people to
spread misinformation and corrode democracy. I wish I could guarantee
that the positives are destined to outweigh the negatives, but I can’t.”
Samidh Chakrabarti, project manager, Facebook2327. The Media
Do the media make us
more informed?
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