impacts of social media on the election and political campaigns to a state
Introduction
In the 21st century, social media has grown to be a routine in close to 80% of the households. The digital world has rapidly evolved, and people can now acquire all sorts of information, data, communication and do business through the social media platforms. It has grown to be a lifestyle, and more people are getting addicted to it. Studies show that nearly two-thirds of all the American population use social media in one way or another. A more significant fraction of the users are among the youth population and teenagers who are attracted to its convenience and ability to do multiple things via the media. As compared to the mainstream media, businesses and companies have shifted to using social media platforms to engage with their clients and market their products.
Television and magazine advertisements are no longer as popular as they used to be due to the lifestyle of the people. In the same way, politics and campaigns have also been redefined thanks to social media. Studies show that the modes of conducting campaigns and politics have drastically changed in the 21st century. As of today, political parties and contestants have embraced social media platforms as an ideal way to interact with those they represent. Some of the most common platforms used by aspirants include twitter, Facebook and YouTube (Bhat 2019). People can share videos, updates, and break the news via the platforms. The prevalence in the use of social media has created both positive and negative impacts alike. The main aim of this report is to give an analysis of the impacts of social media on the election and political campaigns to a state. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Bhat (2019) states that the use of social media has greatly advanced since the last century, and politician has embraced on sharing ideas, gaining supporters, exposing leaks and sharing of their manifestos. Through social media, several activists have been recognized as well as leaders that have the potential to lead the people and those working on greed and are hungry for power. In the 21st century, different governments have been able to create the national accounts that they use to sell their endorsements, engage with citizens on their development plans as well as introduce aspirants for the general elections. Through the development and act of freedom that was introduced in 1966 in the U.S. the freedom to speech and sharing of information has helped in boosting on use of media platforms be a politician in different countries (Garrett, 2019). The milestones in advancement in freedom of speech and sharing of information are today felt by the citizens as they can use social media in political forums, especially during the campaign and election period.
Canada is among the many countries that social media has greatly influenced during the federal election period. Research conducted by Garrett, (2019) shows that approximately 64% of Canadians have a social networking profile with almost 70% having access to the internet, thus regular users to the social media platforms. Social media has become a profound avenue whereby, Canadians interact and socialize, thus connecting different audiences. Studies show that Facebook has the highest numbers of subscribers in the region which makes it the most used social media site in sending updates, tallying numbers and breaking news during the election process in the state (Bhat 2019). The social sites have presented a platform whereby political crusades can be rallied, and an individual can genuinely tell out their issues seeking for change.
Positive impacts
Flexible
There are no restrictions on timelines in updating news on social media sites. Unlike the mass media such as newspapers whereby, individuals have to purchase them daily, social media updates can be covered live, and one may use the platform in the making follow up. Bhat (2019) posits that, in Canada, different political parties have their own Facebook and Twitter pages where they get to post on matters of the general election, the candidates that they have endorsed as well as their manifestos as well. Therefore, individuals do not have to be confined to a tight timeline so that they can be updated on the progress of the elections since online news can be accrued at any point while running their errands. Also, there is utmost convenience since citizens can scroll through the numerous social media sites at any time, thus having information from different parties at the same time.
Affordable
In most occasions, political parties are usually in the limelight for using taxpayers money in conducting campaigns and reaching out to the public. However, the social media platforms have become an affordable platform whereby, members of a party can interact with their citizens and followers through the sites (Bhat 2019). They may even conduct live sessions through the platforms and still get to channel the message they intended to. In Canada, the public ins updated on the tallying of votes systematically through their electronic system that is showcased in the online platforms. Therefore, citizens are able t follow up on their favourite candidates and get updated on how their preferred parties and candidates are performing.
Polls impact
Unlike when conducting a live politically rally, people get swayed by the movement of masses whether they love a candidate or not. However, through the social media platforms, the candidates can conduct different polls about the elections and get direct feedback from the citizens. Most importantly, candidates can take part in online surveying and review on their performance. Poll surveys enable political parties to have a prediction on their performance before even getting to the election day. It gives the parties room to improve on where they could be lagging as well as create measures that they benefit the citizens.
Target group
In the period of elections, political leaders can narrow to their target group by region. This can be done if one is vying to be the mayor of a particular state; they know how to endorse their target market. Therefore, they can pursue groups that are of interest to them which also gives room for direct connection (Garrett, 2019). A good example is when a candidate is vying to be a governor to a particular jurisdiction; they can connect with their citizens living in the exact region. This way, they get to know the problems that the people are facing, areas that need to improved, what mistakes were made by the last candidate and the opportunities are there for them. Garrett, (2019) further states that, in some cases, some candidates don’t get the time to interact with their constituents especially after elections this tends to anger the citizens especially if the candidate is not performing which could lead to impeachment.
Participation
Over time, there were incidences whereby citizens were not involved by the electoral bodies on their requirements to participate in general elections. In some cases, some did not have an insight into the candidates that were vying for positions in the areas. However, thanks to social media participation that electoral bodies have also embraced on engaging citizens on the platforms. This creates ease of participation, depending on the candidate’s questions and requirement (Bhat 2019). During the election period in Canada, citizens are usually updated o the requirement that could carry along while visiting the polling stations. Some of the requirements that are frequently advertised on the social media platforms by the electoral body include the voter requirements and documentation in verifying citizenship details, age and residency matters.
Negative impacts
The spread of fake news
Despite the fact that social media has made the election process and political phase easy and manageable, it also comes with a share of challenges among the citizens. Garrett (2019) states that having the freedom to expression and speech has created a loophole whereby, individuals spread fake news and propaganda on candidates and political parties. Such kind of information get to spread fast and could affect the success of a candidate to a particular position. The consistent spread of fake news has also been increased through the use of bloggers who create fake news websites and spread rumours about political parties and candidates (Garrett 2019). The manipulation of citizens and incitement creates room for violence and creation of contradictory messages about a candidate.
Foreign interference
During an election, thee are usually international observers who usually help the electoral body in observing the political conduct. However, foreigners sometimes use the platform to use information as a weapon in promoting fake pages and news. A good example of this is during the 2016 election, whereby different Russian entities created around 80,000 posts to spread information concerning the U.S. government (Garrett, 2019). Researchers argue that this data reached around 126 million people who were brainwashed on matters concerning the government, leading to the creation of a divided society (Garrett, 2019). Foreign interference creates room for corruption and poor democracy.
Conclusion
Social media platform can be a virtue and vice to the political arena in a state. However, it is a blessing, and its positive impacts have helped in improving interactions among citizens and their chosen candidate. In addition, it creates an easy channel for citizens to gain information about their government, candidates aspiring to be elected and the impact that they would have on the state. Most importantly, candidates have grown to be accountable for their actions and easily accessible to voters at all times.
References
Bhat, A. (April 25, 2019). POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICS. Thrive Global. Retrieved from: https://thriveglobal.com/stories/positive-and-negative-effects-of-social-media-on-politics/27/2/2020
Garrett, R. K. (2019). Social media’s contribution to political misperceptions in U.S. Presidential elections. PloS one, 14(3).